Can a GP refer me for an ADHD assessment?

For adults, the next step may involve a psychiatrist or another clinician trained in ADHD assessment. The choice depends on your needs, available services and whether you are seeking diagnostic clarification, treatment advice or both.

What should I discuss with my GP?

Your doctor will want to understand what is happening, how long it has been happening and how much it affects daily life. They may ask about work, study, relationships, household responsibilities and experiences during childhood. Healthdirect: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

They will also consider your broader health. Sleep problems, mood symptoms, anxiety, medicines and substance use can affect attention. These issues can occur with ADHD or help explain similar difficulties, so they belong in the referral discussion.

The doctor may recommend further information, an examination or another type of assessment first. A referral is a clinical decision, and the most helpful next step is not always the same for every person.

What should I say at the appointment?

You can be direct: “I have been having ongoing problems with concentration and organisation, and I would like to discuss whether an ADHD assessment would be useful.”

Then give a few examples. Perhaps you repeatedly miss deadlines despite working late, forget appointments despite setting reminders or struggle to manage tasks across both home and work. Explain the impact, rather than trying to recite diagnostic criteria.

Useful details include:

• When you first remember these difficulties.
• Whether they occur in several settings or mainly in one situation.
• What has changed recently.
• Strategies or treatments you have already tried.
• What you hope to learn from an assessment.

If you have completed an online screening questionnaire, you can bring the result. Treat it as a conversation starter, not proof of a diagnosis.

Do I need school reports before asking?

No. You can discuss a referral without first gathering every childhood document. School reports and information from people who knew you earlier in life may help the later assessment, but the initial conversation can begin with what you know now.

If records have been lost, you were educated overseas or family contact is difficult, explain this. The assessing clinician can discuss what other information may help. You should not feel you need to invent certainty about events you do not remember.

Who can assess me, and can I choose the clinic?

Yes, you can discuss a preferred clinician or clinic with your doctor. Before booking the referral consultation, it can help to check that the service assesses adult ADHD, accepts new patients and offers the care you are looking for.

Ask for its referral requirements and take them to your appointment. If you want to discuss medication, check whether the service provides medical treatment assessment and follow-up. A psychologist's assessment can be useful, but psychologists do not prescribe medicines, and a prescribing clinician may require their own assessment. Services Australia: Referrals for specialist treatment

Can the GP diagnose ADHD instead?

Some GPs have additional training and provide ADHD assessment within their clinical scope. Others refer to a clinician with more relevant experience. Diagnosis and authority to prescribe particular medicines are separate matters, and medical prescribing arrangements differ between states and territories.

Ask what your doctor actually offers. Do not assume that every GP provides ADHD diagnosis, or that only a psychiatrist can ever assess it. The Australian ADHD guideline's GP factsheet describes the role of trained clinicians. AADPA: ADHD factsheet for GPs

Can I arrange the referral online, and what happens next?

Often, yes, if telehealth is suitable and the doctor can obtain enough information. Some circumstances require an examination, access to earlier records or input from your usual treating clinician.

Doccio offers ADHD referral consultations with AHPRA-registered doctors. The service assesses whether a referral is appropriate; it does not provide an ADHD diagnosis or guarantee a specialist appointment or prescription.

The consultation costs $59 during business hours or $79 after hours. The assessment provider charges separately. Check Doccio's pricing and the receiving clinic's fees before booking.

What happens after the referral?

Contact the clinic to confirm that it has received and accepted the letter. Ask about forms, fees and the next available assessment. Keep your usual doctor involved while you wait, especially if your health changes.

For the complete process, read how to get an ADHD assessment in Australia.

Doccio's psychiatry partner is SetMind, an Australian online psychiatry practice for adults offering ADHD assessments and shared-care plans by telehealth. Your doctor can address a referral to SetMind or to any clinic you prefer; SetMind confirms its fees and any Medicare rebate in writing before you book.

Where to go next

Read about our ADHD referral service or start a Doccio referral consultation.

If you're having thoughts of self-harm, call 000 or Lifeline on 13 11 14. Lifeline: Lifeline crisis support - 13 11 14