ADHD assessment referral online

You can discuss an ADHD assessment referral with a Doccio doctor online. The doctor reviews your symptoms, health history and everyday difficulties before deciding whether referral is appropriate. Doccio provides referral consultations, not ADHD diagnosis or specialist assessment. The consultation costs $59 during business hours or $79 after hours; specialist fees are separate.

Doccio offers online consultations with AHPRA-registered doctors to discuss an ADHD assessment referral. Your doctor considers your symptoms, their effect on everyday life and relevant health history. If a referral is clinically appropriate, they can prepare a letter for a suitable assessment service.

Doccio provides referral consultations. We do not diagnose ADHD through this service, provide specialist ADHD assessments or guarantee medication.

A referral consultation costs $59 during business hours or $79 after hours. Specialist assessment fees are separate.

Discuss an ADHD referral

Could an ADHD assessment help me?

You might be seeking help because staying organised takes more effort than it seems to for other people. Perhaps deadlines repeatedly slip, important tasks remain unfinished or conversations are difficult to follow. Some adults describe a sense of restlessness; others mainly notice distraction and forgetfulness.

These experiences can have several explanations. Occasional difficulty concentrating does not establish ADHD. What matters is the pattern over time, how much it interferes with life and whether another condition better explains it. Healthdirect: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

It may help to tell your doctor about:

• Problems at work, study or home that keep recurring despite your efforts.
• Difficulties that were also present earlier in life.
• The strategies you use to keep up, and how demanding those strategies feel.
• Changes in sleep, mood, stress, medicines or substance use.
• What you hope an assessment will help you understand.

For background on the condition, read what ADHD means. Our adult assessment guide explains the broader pathway.

An online referral is different from an online ADHD assessment

Searching for “ADHD assessment online” can bring up several different services. Some offer screening questionnaires, some offer medical referral consultations, and others provide full diagnostic assessments by telehealth.

Doccio's service is the referral consultation. A questionnaire score alone cannot establish ADHD, and a referral letter is not a diagnosis. The receiving clinician conducts their own assessment and decides whether diagnostic criteria are met.

The Australian ADHD guideline describes a comprehensive assessment that considers developmental history, functioning, mental health and other possible explanations. This may involve more than one appointment. Ask the assessment clinic how its process works before committing to a booking. Australian ADHD guideline: How should ADHD be assessed, diagnosed, and monitored

How does an ADHD referral consultation work?

1. Explain what has prompted you to seek help

Start with the problem that matters most to you. For example, you might be struggling to manage university deadlines, repeatedly missing appointments or feeling overwhelmed by everyday administration. Concrete examples are more useful than trying to match a checklist perfectly.

Tell the doctor how long this has been happening and whether it has recently changed. A recent, sudden change in concentration needs a different discussion from difficulties you remember throughout school and adult life.

2. Review relevant health information

Your doctor will ask about your medical and mental health history, current medicines, previous assessments and any immediate safety concerns. Sleep problems, anxiety, depression and other conditions can affect attention. They can also occur alongside ADHD, so a referral should describe the wider picture.

If information is missing, the doctor may recommend obtaining records or seeing your usual clinician before a referral is completed. Sometimes an examination or other assessment is the most useful next step.

3. Decide on the appropriate pathway

If further assessment is indicated, your doctor discusses which service may suit your needs. Adults may be referred to a psychiatrist with ADHD experience or another appropriately trained clinician, depending on the purpose of assessment and local options.

If you already have a clinic in mind, bring its name, contact details and referral instructions. A referral is a clinical recommendation, not confirmation that the receiving service will accept the request.

4. Arrange the assessment with the receiving clinic

After a referral is issued, check the clinic's booking process, fees and availability. Confirm that it assesses adults, is accepting new patients and can provide the type of care you need. You may need to submit the letter and complete forms before an appointment is offered.

Doccio does not control specialist waiting lists or book a guaranteed assessment slot as part of this consultation.

What to prepare before your appointment

You can start with a short note rather than a detailed life history. Write down two or three examples of the difficulties you want help with, when you first noticed them and what you have already tried.

Useful information includes:

• A list of medicines and supplements, including doses if known.
• Previous psychiatrist, psychologist or paediatrician reports.
• Relevant medical letters and investigation results.
• Details of any earlier ADHD diagnosis or treatment.
• The receiving clinic's requirements, if you have contacted one.

School reports or information from someone who knew you in childhood may help a later diagnostic assessment. You do not need to delay the initial referral discussion while searching for every document. If records are unavailable, explain that; the assessing clinician can discuss other ways of exploring your history.

You can also bring questions. For example: “Would this clinic be suitable if I want to discuss treatment as well as diagnosis?” or “Who will support me while I wait?”

Which assessment service should I choose?

Think about what you want from the assessment. You may want an explanation for longstanding difficulties, recommendations for work or study, or a discussion of treatment options. Tell the referring doctor so the referral asks a useful clinical question.

If medication is something you want to discuss, ask the receiving clinic whether it offers prescribing assessment and ongoing care. Psychologists do not prescribe medicines. Prescribing arrangements for medical practitioners vary by state or territory and individual authorisation; an assessment report does not automatically establish a prescribing relationship.

Also ask whether the clinic provides a report, whether feedback is included and who receives recommendations. If you have an existing treating doctor, continuity matters: clarify how that doctor will receive relevant information and who is responsible for follow-up.

What will the referral and assessment cost?

Doccio's referral consultation is $59 between 8 am and 6 pm Monday to Friday, Sydney time, excluding public holidays. After-hours consultations are $79, including evenings, weekends and public holidays. Check current pricing when booking.

The fee is for a doctor's assessment of your referral needs. It does not buy referral approval and does not include psychiatrist consultations, diagnostic reports or treatment.

The assessment provider sets its own charges. Eligible psychiatrist services may attract a Medicare rebate where referral and other requirements are met, but a referral does not guarantee a rebate or bulk billing. Ask for the full fee, expected rebate and estimated out-of-pocket cost before booking. Services Australia: Referrals for specialist treatment RANZCP Your Health in Mind: Cost to see a psychiatrist (Australia)

Availability also differs between clinics. A prompt referral consultation does not mean a prompt specialist appointment. Read our answers on assessment costs and psychiatrist waiting times.

Our psychiatry partner

Doccio works with SetMind, an Australian online psychiatry practice for adults. SetMind provides ADHD assessments, depression and anxiety reviews, medication reviews and diagnostic clarification by telehealth, Australia-wide.

If your Doccio doctor decides a referral is appropriate, they can address it to SetMind or to another clinic you prefer — the choice is always yours. SetMind's psychiatrists review the referral information, use validated questionnaires and, where available, collateral history before reaching any diagnosis. They can also prepare a shared-care plan so your ongoing care stays with your regular GP.

SetMind sets its own fees, which are separate from Doccio's consultation fee, and confirms the exact fee and any Medicare rebate in writing before you book. A referral does not guarantee a rebate, bulk billing or a particular wait time — ask the clinic for current availability when you make contact.

Doccio does not receive a payment when you attend SetMind, and you are free to take your referral to any provider.

Where to go next

Do not wait for an ADHD assessment if your mental health is deteriorating. Contact your usual doctor for earlier review.

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

If you would like to discuss a non-urgent referral, start a Doccio referral consultation.

Read about our adult ADHD assessment guide or start a Doccio referral consultation.