Professor Caleb Lack

03/12/2026

Despite all the "medical" use of ma*****na and it being prescribed for a wide range of conditions, there is little sound evidence that it is actually helpful for any mental health condition, as reviewed in this new publication:

"The current evidence base is not sufficient to support the use of cannabis for the treatment of mental health conditions and demonstrates substantial risks of adverse effects. Clinicians should engage patients with mental health conditions in discussions about cannabis use because use is common, has an influence on mental health symptoms, and is likely an important modifiable risk factor for mental health conditions in some populations."

03/10/2026

In sad news, Dr. Judith Rapoport has passed away at age 93. She was an early giant in pediatric OCD research and lived an amazing life.

One of the highlights of my early career was being part of a panel on pediatric OCD at an international conference in Argentina, and noticing Dr. Rapoport was in the audience. She even commented us afterward on enjoying it. I was a bit star stuck!

Celebrate the life of Judith Rapoport, leave a kind word or memory and get funeral service information care of Hines-Rinaldi Funeral Home.

03/10/2026

I’m excited to announce that my pesi_inc training on the DSM-5-TR changes is now available on demand! Check it and my others out on their website!

03/06/2026

I'm excited to announce the imminent publication of "Advances in Mental Health Technology," a special bound issue of the journal Psychiatric Clinics of North America that I edited. In it you will find cutting edge articles on ethics, assessment, and treatment issues, such as digital phenotyping, wearable technology, virtual reality, chatbots and AI, and more!

A huge thanks to my contributors and co-authors from across the country!

03/02/2026

One thing I assess for ALL of my patients is sleep - ans very few are getting adequate levels of it. This article highlights the issue and why it’s such a problem in adolescents, but it’s a system-wide issue in the US.

💬 Editor's Note by JAMA Editorial Fellow Randi Bates and JAMA Deputy Editor Tracy Lieu: face increasing rates of insufficient sleep, driven by early school start times and digital media use, undermining cognitive and mental health.

https://ja.ma/3ZZY5jz

03/01/2026

This review in the British Medical Journal by some of my friends and colleagues gives an excellent overview of what we know about treating OCD.

02/27/2026

I was very excited yesterday to meet with the wonderful clinicians at Salud Mental, including founder Jose Solis, to talk about exposure therapy, system-wide issues in healthcare, and partnering together to help serve the Spanish-speaking populations Oklahoma.

02/27/2026

Check out my amazing colleague on Sirius XM!

Tune in to Sirius XM's Doctor Radio (Channel 110), this Friday, 2/27/2026, at 8:00am (EST), where Dr. Marni Jacob will be talking about lesser-known presentations of OCD and her new book, What To Do When You Have a Tricky, Sticky, Picky Brain: Cognitive Behavioral Strategies to Help Kids with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder! Tune in! https://www.siriusxm.com/channels/doctor-radio

02/21/2026

It’s been fairly widely acknowledged before that consumption of ma*****na as a teen is associated with poorer mental health outcomes later in life. This new prospective study on almost half a million teens expands and supports that, with the particular finding that the younger age of exposure the higher the risk of developing serious mental illness such as psychotic and bipolar disorders.

“Past-year cannabis use was associated with an increased risk of incident psychotic (adjusted hazard ratio [AHR], 2.19; 95% CI, 1.97-2.42), bipolar (AHR, 2.01; 95% CI, 1.82-2.22), depressive (AHR, 1.34; 95% CI, 1.30-1.39), and anxiety disorders (AHR, 1.24; 95% CI, 1.21-1.28). The strength of the associations between cannabis use and incident depressive and anxiety disorders decreased as adolescents aged.”

02/20/2026

I would love to have you join me next month as I discuss trauma- and stressor-related disorders, like PTSD, reactive attachment disorder, and adjustment disorder, in this webinar!

DSM-5-TR™ for Trauma & Stressor Related Disorders

02/13/2026

It’s Valentine’s Day, which apparently means that all my trainings over at PESI are half off! So don’t break my heart by not learning amazing, evidence based treatments for Tourette’s syndrome and chronic tic disorders, how to make good ethical decisions, or so much more!

https://www.pesi.com/speaker/caleb-lack-2532302

02/10/2026

Grief and grieving are an expected part of being human. However, like all emotions, grief can become something beyond typical, interfering with functioning and causing high levels of impairment. Treating prolonged grief has received more attention since it was listed as a disorder in the DSM-5-TR, and this new study from researchers at Boston University provides some data that a transdiagnostic CBT treatment - the Unified Protocol - can be helpful for those who are struggling.