Woodlands Psychiatrist

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Peter Berndt, M.D., brings a lifetime of experience, first as a family physician and now as a psychiatrist, to his current work with individuals, companies, and organizations in The Woodlands, Texas.

10/28/2025

Dementia Risk Increases With More Psychiatric Comorbidities

September 12, 2025

New research indicates that the risk of developing dementia increases with the number of comorbid psychiatric disorders. Individuals with two psychiatric disorders are twice as likely to develop dementia, while those with three have a fourfold risk. The presence of four or more disorders elevates the risk 11-fold. Mood and anxiety disorders, in particular, pose the greatest risk, with some subgroups showing up to a 90% probability of developing dementia. The study analyzed data from 3688 adults aged 45 and older, revealing that 18% developed dementia within an average of 18 months after their first psychiatric disorder diagnosis. These findings underscore the importance of targeted dementia screening and preventive measures in patients with multiple psychiatric disorders. This study had no specific funding.

The Takeaway: Dementia risk rises with each psychiatric comorbidity, underscoring the need for targeted screening and prevention.

Comment:
What this study means is that it is crucially important to recognize and treat mental illnesses in the middle-aged and elderly for their general health benefits but also for the purpose of prevention of dementia or at least for keeping dementia at bay for as long as possible. It therefore incomprehensible to hear that some psychiatrists' offices in my community refuse to treat elderly patients beyond a certain age. It is true that some elderly patients may be beyond the reach of psychotherapy, if they are no longer cognitively intact enough, but they can often still benefit from emotional support and possibly from judiciously dosed medication for depression, anxiety and behavioral issues.

Childhood Abuse May Impact Adult Mental HealthA secondary analysis of seven cross-sectional surveys of over 20,000 adult...
10/20/2025

Childhood Abuse May Impact Adult Mental Health

A secondary analysis of seven cross-sectional surveys of over 20,000 adults in England and Wales found that childhood physical abuse, verbal abuse, or both, significantly increase the risk for poor mental health in adulthood. Participants reported their abuse experiences before age 18 years, and their current mental health was assessed using the Short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale. Those exposed to physical abuse had a 52% higher likelihood of poor mental health, while verbal abuse increased the risk by 64%. Experiencing both types of abuse raised the risk by 115%. The study highlights the need for interventions addressing both physical and verbal abuse to improve long-term mental health outcomes. No funding information was reported.

The Takeaway: Childhood abuse interventions are crucial for improving adult mental health outcomes.

Cited from Medscape 9/1/25

Plant Extracts Ease Hand OA PainA study in Belgium found that a daily combination of Curcuma longa (turmeric) and Boswel...
10/17/2025

Plant Extracts Ease Hand OA Pain

A study in Belgium found that a daily combination of Curcuma longa (turmeric) and Boswellia serrata extracts significantly reduced pain in patients with hand osteoarthritis (OA) over three months. Participants reported an 8-9 point improvement on a pain scale
compared with placebo, where higher scores indicate more pain relief. Additionally, patients experienced enhanced quality of life. The trial was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study focusing on patient-reported outcomes. Over 90% of participants
adhered to the supplement regimen, with side effects like placebo. While these plant extracts do not replace standard OA treatments, they provide a safe adjunct for those seeking natural options. The study highlights the importance of considering complementary
therapies for symptomatic relief in hand OA.

The Takeaway: Plant extracts offer safe, effective relief for hand OA pain as a complementary therapy.

Cited from Medscape

10/16/2025

ONCOLOGY

Underlying Mechanisms Responsible for Spontaneous Cancer Regression

October 7, 2025

Spontaneous regression of cancer, notably in neuroblastoma, leukemia, lung cancer, and melanoma, is rare and poorly understood. Historical observations implicate infections and immune activation in tumor shrinkage. William B. Coley, a surgeon, pioneered immunotherapy by using bacterial toxins to induce fever and immune response. Modern research explores viruses and immune mechanisms. In a series of 54 leukemia cases, 76% of remissions were associated with bacterial infection and 45% with blood transfusion (median time, 5 months). Factors like infections, transfusions, and immune responses are linked to temporary remissions. Understanding these processes could inform future cancer treatments.
The Takeaway: Understanding the underlying mechanisms for spontaneous tumor regression may guide new cancer therapies.

COMMENT: This is an interesting report that has just come out. General medicine has shown no interest in and has been strangely silent on this issue of spontaneous remission of cases with cancer. These remissions are looked upon as being curiosities rather than a phenomenon to be more widely understood. As a result, funding and research have focused on chemotherapy, radiation, and surgical approaches rather than on also understanding cancer from a psychosomatic (mind-body) perspective. This can make valuable contributions to the care of patients with a cancer diagnosis who are, astonishingly, hardly ever offered psychological support. Such support has the potential to help patients have less pain, anxiety and a longer survival. At the same time, it needs to be said that psychological approaches need not and should not be used to replace the usual forms of treatment but rather to supplement it, so that the patient has the best of both worlds. The only work that I am aware of that talks about remissions from malignancy is a book by a Dr. Rediger called "Cured" which may be of interest.

Art Impacts Brain ActivityRecent research using functional MRI from Columbia University reveals that viewing abstract ar...
10/16/2025

Art Impacts Brain Activity

Recent research using functional MRI from Columbia University reveals that viewing abstract art engages the brain's Default Mode Network more than realistic art, leading to varied and subjective interpretations. This study involved 29 participants who viewed both abstract and figurative paintings, showing that abstract art elicited more diverse brain activity patterns. The findings suggest that abstract art's ambiguity encourages personal interpretation, linked to creativity and mind wandering. The study highlights the therapeutic potential of art in enhancing mental well-being and creativity.

The Takeaway:
Abstract art stimulates diverse brain activity, enhancing creativity and mind wandering.

10/13/2025

Psychiatry

Parental Mental Health Tied to their Offspring's Risk for Mortality
October 6, 2025

A Swedish cohort study of over 3.5 million individuals found that offspring of parents with mental disorders had nearly double the risk for mortality, particularly from unnatural causes. The risk was highest when both parents were affected, regardless of the parent's s*x. Mortality rates were notably higher for cardiovascular and cancer-related deaths, su***de, and unintentional injuries. The study emphasizes the need for improved surveillance and early intervention strategies to mitigate these risks. The research was funded by the Swedish Research Council for Health, Working Life and Welfare and the Heart and Lung Foundation.

The Takeaway: Early intervention in families with mental disorders is crucial to reduce the risk for mortality among offspring

Comment:
Postings like this are intended to alert persons with the family history above to be mindful of the risks described and to take preventitive action in the form of EFFECTIVE psychotherapeutic intervention, ideally before negative consequences have started to occur. It is, however, never ever too late for such preventitive steps.

10/12/2025

Neurology

Poor Sleep Quality Tied To Rapid Brain Aging
October 9, 2025

Research published in The Lancet eBioMedicine involving 27,500 UK Biobank participants (mean age, 54 years; 54% women) found poor sleep quality is linked to accelerated brain aging, potentially due to inflammation. Participants with poor sleep had brains appearing older than their chronological age, with inflammation mediating part of this effect. The study used MRI (performed 8.9 years after baseline assessment on average) and machine learning to estimate brain age, highlighting the role of sleep in brain health. The findings suggest that improving sleep could prevent brain aging and cognitive decline. The study was funded by Alzheimerfonden and other organizations.

The Takeaway: Improving sleep quality may help prevent accelerated brain aging.

Comment:
Here is the old question of what came first, the chicken or the egg?
It would seem that it may not be the poor sleep pattern that accelerates brain aging but rather whatever the cause or causes of the poor sleep pattern maybe. One of the most common ones is high daytime stress and anxiety levels. Patients with this problem have the experience of not being able to "turn off their mind" when they want to go to sleep.
The usual treatment is sleeping medication which treats the problem symptomatically and which fails to address underlying issues.

10/11/2025

High Depression and Anxiety levels in Patients With Fibromyalgia

October 3, 2025

A meta-analysis of 84 studies with nearly 30,000 participants reveals that 51% of patients with fibromyalgia experience depression and 47% suffer from anxiety. The study found no significant differences in prevalence based on gender ratio, continent, or study design. Anxiety prevalence decreases with age, while depression increases, though these trends are not significant. The study highlights the importance of addressing mental health to improve fibromyalgia management.

The Takeaway: Addressing mental health is crucial in managing fibromyalgia symptoms holistically.

Cited from Medscape Psychiatry.

Comment:
The findings of this study should, in my opinion, not be interpreted as meaning that fibromyalgia is a psychiatric disorder but only that it has, as so much medical illness, significant psychiatric contributing components. The conclusion to be drawn is that relieving or resolving the anxiety component would be of great benefit to patients suffering from fibromyalgia.

10/05/2025

Soft Drinks Tied to Increased Risk for Depression

October 1, 2025

A study of 932 participants found that higher soft drink consumption is linked to a 16.7% increased risk of major depressive disorder (MDD) and more severe symptoms in women, potentially due to changes in the gut microbiome. The bacterium Eggerthella was notably associated with this effect, explaining 3.8% of the effect on diagnosis and 5.0% on symptom severity. The study emphasizes the importance of dietary assessments in depression management. The findings were published in JAMA Psychiatry. The study was funded by the German Research Foundation.

The Takeaway: Soft drink intake may elevate depression risk, especially in women, potentially via changes in the gut microbiome.

Cited from Medscape

10/04/2025

AI Deepfakes Fuel Medical Disinformation

October 1, 2025

Artificial intelligence (AI)-generated deepfake doctors are spreading false medical information and promoting dubious products on social media like oils to treat hair loss or supplements for endocrine disorders. These realistic avatars mimic real or fictional physicians, making it difficult for users to discern authenticity. The rise of deepfakes is driven by advances in AI technology, allowing easy creation of convincing content. Experts warn of the potential harm, especially to those with limited health literacy. To avoid being misled, individuals should verify the existence of medical professionals across multiple platforms and rely on trusted medical sources for high-stakes information.

Cited from Medscape Family Medicine

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8111 Ashlane Way, Suite 221
The Woodlands, TX
77382

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+18669957910

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