Why ADHD diagnosis could now be easier to get

Long waiting lists and costly appointments saw many Aussies give up on a formal diagnosis, but that could now change.

The Federal Government should consider extending Medicare subsidies for ADHD treatment to more services — including “registered ADHD coaches” — and covering more treatments on the PBS, a Senate Committee says.

They should also provide funding for an advertising campaign to reduce the “stigma associated with ADHD”, further research into the condition and ADHD advocacy organisations.

A Senate Committee report into ADHD assessment and support services, released on Monday, found long appointment wait-times, poor coverage under Medicare and an “overly bureaucratic process” made it difficult for patients to receive timely diagnoses and care and suggested measures to change this.

ADHD, which stands for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, impacts about one in twenty Australians and involves “persistent patterns of inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity”.

“The evidence to the committee made clear that the cost of clinician, general practitioner (GP) and allied healthcare visits is too expensive, in many cases preventing people from getting an ADHD diagnosis and ongoing support,” the report said.

“For some people, the prohibitive costs of medication resulted in them rationing medication, sharing medication, or people having to make a choice between buying food or medication for themselves or their family members.”

Some patients were forced to ration medication, the report said.

Experts such as Australian ADHD Professionals Association director and Monash University Turner Institute’s Professor Mark Bellgrove welcomed the “landmark” report and its recommendations, many of which aligned with submissions made by peak medical groups.

“The 15 recommendations are appropriate, practical and formulated with due consideration to both the evidence and the needs of consumers,” Prof Bellgrove said.

The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners had called for nationally consistent prescription guidelines – which the report recommended the government fast-track.

The Australian ADHD Professional Associations clinical guidelines — which the committee said the government should consider implementing — were supported by both the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists and the The Australian Association of Psychologists in their submission.

But the Critical Psychiatry Network of Australasia argued against these guidelines in their submission, criticising the use of medication by their colleagues to treat ADHD in children and warning “expanding services to facilitate the earlier diagnosis and treatment of ADHD could result in significant harms, particularly to children”.

The report recommended the government consider funding a national framework for ADHD and review both Medicare and Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme subsidies in order to find ways to improve access to an ADHD diagnosis and treatment.

The report recommended the government review both Medicare subsidies to try and find ways to improve access to an ADHD diagnosis and treatment. Picture: Valeriu Campan

It said they should consider expanding Medicare coverage to “psychologists, psychiatrists, nurse practitioners, allied health professionals (including registered ADHD coaches)”.

But the report also said ADHD coaches were a contested topic, with “with some submitters concerned that some ADHD coaches may take advantage of a lack of regulation, while others advocated for easier access to subsidised coaching support”.

“There was mixed evidence about the efficacy of coaching support for people with ADHD,” it said.

The committee also found there was confusion about NDIS eligibility, with “many expert organisations, advocacy groups and health professionals” wrongly believing ADHD was ineligible.

They blamed poor communication from the NDIA and years of rejected applications for this myth and said eligibility was judged by a person’s level of “functional impairment” – meaning an ADHD diagnosis does not automatically grant NDIS access.

The committee called on the NDIA to ensure service providers and ADHD patients were aware they could be eligible, while improving training for their own workers.

Other recommendations included developing a dedicated government ADHD information portal and developing training pathways so more professionals — particularly general practitioners and nurse practitioners — can assess and support ADHD patients.

The government will have three months to respond to the Senate Committee’s report.