'Slow and expensive': The overwhelming cost of an ADHD diagnosis

Help is available, but it's not easy to find

It's important you meet a psychiatrist because they are the ones that can prescribe medication. Image: Getty

There are endless online organisations, psychologists and psychiatrists offering assessments for a vast range of costs, but thousands of Australians have experienced long wait times and bank-breaking expenses just to be diagnosed.

I don’t know that I ever would have figured out that I have ADHD if it weren’t for my 18-year-old son. It’s obvious to me now that I know: a lifetime of struggling to sit still for long periods, feeling overwhelmed at competing priorities, having a mind that drifts off mid-conversation, and a nagging feeling that I just wasn’t living up to my potential. 

But it was my son who first suspected he might have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and it was when he was filling out a questionnaire online that he called me over and delicately suggested that I might tick ‘yes’ to just about everything on the list. He was right.

It was at that moment I may as well have posted my banking passwords on Facebook, or opened my purse and set fire to all of my money, because, as anyone who has tried to get an ADHD diagnosis will know, the process is slow and expensive. 

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I took a pretty straightforward approach to my treatment because I didn’t feel like I needed talking therapy or other support. Over the course of my life, I have developed plenty of systems and workarounds for the challenges ADHD adds to my life, so all I wanted was to try medication to see if it helped (it absolutely does, oh my god). 

But for my son, I want a more comprehensive approach to his ongoing healthcare. 

So far, I’ve spent about $1500 getting myself sorted, and I know from talking to others that this number is on the low side. My son was recently charged $400 for an initial phone call with a well-known organisation, which has now put him on a waiting list to start the assessment process. I’m still not even sure what that $400 chat was for. 

The expense of an ADHD diagnosis won’t come as a surprise to the many thousands of Australians who have experienced long wait times and bank-breaking expenses just to be told whether or not they have the condition.

Some clinics are taking advantage of the sudden boom in willing patients. Image: Getty

The internet is heaving with organisations, psychologists and psychiatrists offering assessments for a range of costs, but how much should we be paying, and why does it cost so much?

Christopher Ouizeman, Director of the ADHD Foundation says it really comes down to supply and demand. Before the explosion of interest in ADHD which started around 2019, Ouizeman says a diagnosis would cost anywhere between $200 and $500.

“Since then, there has been a blossoming [of] our knowledge and awareness around ADHD, which has led to a massive demand for individuals who feel as though they need medical intervention,” he says. “That's then prompted clinics to pop up and easily diagnose ADHD.”

Ouizeman says some clinics are taking advantage of the sudden boom in willing patients. 

“One of the worst cases that we've seen [was] where an individual has attended one of these clinics, and was charged $3000 to get a positive diagnosis for ADHD, and then told to go away because there's nothing more than the clinic could do.”

Ouizeman is quick to add that there are many other clinics out there that are behaving ethically and helping people to deal with their ADHD. 

“There are some great ones out there,” he says. “Great psychologists, great psychiatrists - some of these clinics, unfortunately, in our view, might be taking advantage of a vulnerable segment of the population.”

The ADHD Foundation offers a range of online resources. Image: Getty

So, how do you tell the difference between the good and the opportunistic – especially when you’re looking at long waiting lists and unsure of the process? The ADHD Foundation spends a lot of time investigating clinicians, and it offers a list of those they have identified as ethical on its website. 

The way the process should work, according to Ouizeman, “is that you talk to your GP, and your GP will refer you to a trusted psychologist or psychiatrist. If it's a trusted psychologist, then they can diagnose you pretty accurately, and then hopefully can refer you to a psychiatrist. 

“It's important that you meet a psychiatrist because the psychiatrists are the ones that can prescribe the medication in the right dosage. But more importantly, because ADHD is often accompanied by comorbidities, which are other conditions, the psychiatrists are the best qualified to stabilise your condition and determine which of the conditions needs the primary treatment.”

The high costs and under-regulated industry approach are part of a current Senate inquiry, and Ouizeman is hopeful this will be the start of broad-reaching changes. 

“The PBS (pharmaceutical benefits scheme) needs to take on ADHD medication, then laws [between states] need to be harmonised, and properly trained doctors should be able to prescribe medication,” he says. “There's a whole raft of things that can be done to improve the system, but government needs to take responsibility.”

In the meantime, if you’re hoping for an ADHD assessment, you should reasonably be looking at a cost from $500 to $2000, says Ouizeman, although he adds that it’s difficult to have a simple answer because people’s cases can vary in complexity, and where you’re seeking your diagnosis can also affect the price.

Some clinics might be taking advantage of a vulnerable segment of the population. Image: Unsplash

Ouizeman says it’s also important to note that integrative medicine can also play an important part in an ADHD treatment plan. 

“Whilst the ADHD Foundation acknowledges that medication is appropriate for some people, with an integrative approach to condition management such as nutrition, supplements, exercise, meditation and even Eastern healing techniques, the condition can improve for many,” he says.

And for the 15 per cent of Australians who have no emergency fund to draw from when something like this pops up, there is help available. The ADHD Foundation offers a range of online resources, and if you call their helpline on 1300 39 39 19 they will not only offer support and recommendations on where to go for help, they can also send you an ADHD assessment you can do yourself.

Originally published as 'Slow and expensive': The overwhelming cost of an ADHD diagnosis