30 | JANUARY 27 • 2022 

J

anuary and February 
are some of the 
toughest months for 
Michiganders.
In previous years, an 
increase in mental health 
concerns during this time 
could be attributed in part 
to seasonal depression. Now, 
however, the ongoing COVID-
19 pandemic and surge of the 
Omicron variant are making 
this winter more challenging 
than ever for people in Metro 
Detroit.
“There’s a feeling of 
hopelessness 
right now,
” says 
Dr. Melanie 
Schwartz, a 
Jewish clinical 
psychologist 
and owner 
of Viewpoint 
Psychology and Wellness, 
which has locations in 
Commerce Township and 
West Bloomfield. “You already 
have seasonal depression 
going on. And then you add in 
COVID, and then you add in 
people’s everyday problems.
”

It’s a combination that’s led 
to an uptick in people seeking 
mental health care, Schwartz 
explains. 
“We are seeing a lot more 
depression,
” she says. “We’ve 
definitely seen a resurgence 
of people’s anxiety related to 
COVID.
”

A NEW FORM OF 
ANXIETY
COVID-related anxiety never 
disappeared, Schwartz says, 
but it decreased last year when 
positive case numbers dropped 
significantly, and it felt like 
things were slowly returning 
to normal. Now, however, 
people are experiencing a new 
type of anxiety that is largely 
due to a specific type of fatigue 
that stems from dealing with 
what feels like a never-ending 
pandemic.
“People are having more 
anxiety because this [variant] 
seems way more out of 
control and people were 
doing everything they could 
to prevent COVID,
” Schwartz 
explains. “People are feeling 

HEALTH

A Omicron surges, so do 
Michiganders’ anxiety levels.

ASHLEY ZLATOPOLSKY CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Dr. Melanie 
Schwartz

STORMSEEKER

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