Jessica Drake – OCD / Anxiety Psychotherapist

Author: Jessica Drake

  • Coffee, addiction and Hamlet

    Recently I went on a new medication for ADHD. I don’t work with people with ADHD specifically (although many of the clients I have worked with over the years have presented with similar traits to me) because actually my ADHD diagnosis is really new, although I was fairly sure I…

  • Making an old fashioned bed with ADHD

    As well as having OCD, I have ADHD and I am recovering addict. Ever one to indulge in gallows humour, I have called my triple diagnosis The Holy Trinity, which made my psychiatrist laugh. I am really good at some things, and not so good at others. Isn’t everyone? The…

  • The loop of anxiety

    How lunch with an old friend got me reflecting I just came home from lunch with a really old and treasured friend who I haven’t seen for a year. We were at school together 25 years ago, and are godparents to each other’s children. I love catching up with old…

  • Menopause & Mania

    How HRT and an incorrect diagnosis of menopausal symptoms sent me spiralling. Last week a story broke in the mainstream about the menopause – specifically how employers need to make ‘reasonable adjustments’ for women going through this time in their lives. The menopause has been dominant in the press for…

  • My OCD recovery book tip: ‘Pure O’ by Chad Lejeune

    A fantastic source of information on recovery from OCD the book Pure O by Chad Lejeune. This book was a real game changer in my recovery from OCD, and I always recommend it to clients. Chad’s other book ‘The Worry Trap’ is also very helpful. Chad uses Acceptance and Commitment…

  • The transformative power of Exposure and Response Prevention therapy

    You may have read my first blog above about how sobriety helped me onto the right path, yet I have found I needed more help. This was a huge shock to me, and has taken a vast amount of adjustment for me and my family. The last thing I ever…

  • Sober for over a decade, I realised addiction was only the beginning when it came to addressing long-term Mental Health

    I passed 12 years of continuous sobriety from drugs and alcohol last weekend. Going to rehab and dropping the drink and party poppers has given me an amazing life. I’ve got married, had children, and trained as a psychotherapist. Friendships and relationships with family have been restored. I can sit…