Frequently asked questions

Neither. This is an independent, editorially-run information site about the ADHD assessment process in Australia. It does not diagnose, treat, or employ any clinician, and it does not publish a database of provider contact details. If you want to be connected with a provider serving your area, use the enquiry form and the details are passed on for that purpose only.

A GP is usually the first point of contact and referral pathway. Formal assessment and diagnosis is carried out by a registered psychologist, a psychiatrist, or a paediatrician, depending on your age and whether medication is likely to be part of your plan.

Source: healthdirect Australia.

No. A registered psychologist can assess and diagnose ADHD, but only a psychiatrist, paediatrician or neurologist can prescribe stimulant medication for it in Australia.

Nationally, total assessment costs average close to $1,400, with an initial adult session alone averaging more than $530 without a rebate, and some full assessments reaching almost $4,000. See our full cost and wait-time data for the breakdown by Medicare item.

Source: University of Wollongong, 2026.

Nationally, adults wait just over 10 weeks on average for a first appointment and children 19 weeks, though individual waits vary widely: some private clinics report waits approaching a year, and public adult services in at least one jurisdiction (the ACT) are not currently taking new referrals at all.

Source: University of Wollongong, 2026.

Partly. A psychiatrist assessment with a GP referral is rebated 85 percent under Medicare items 291 or 296. A psychologist assessment session for a patient under 25 can be rebated 85 percent under item 82000, capped at 8 services in a lifetime. Neither covers the full cost, and there is no equivalent all-ages psychologist item.

Source: Medicare Benefits Schedule.

You do not strictly need one to see a registered psychologist privately, but a GP referral is required to access the higher Medicare rebate for a psychiatrist assessment, and it is the usual entry point to either pathway.

Yes. A telehealth assessment follows the same clinical process, interview, rating scales and collateral information, as an in-person one, and psychiatrist attendances have a video-consultation equivalent Medicare item to the in-person one.

Source: Medicare Benefits Schedule, item 296.

No. Online quizzes are self-report screening tools at best. A formal diagnosis requires the full clinical assessment process: a structured interview, standardised rating scales, and information from people who know you, carried out by a registered psychologist, psychiatrist or paediatrician.

No. Details you submit through the enquiry form are only used to connect you with a provider serving your area, as disclosed at the point you submit the form. See our Privacy Policy for the full detail.