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You've Been Diagnosed with ADHD: What Happens Next

After an ADHD diagnosis, the next steps are usually a written report and a conversation about treatment options: psychological strategies, medication, or a combination of both. Here is what that typically looks like.

After an ADHD diagnosis, the next step is usually a written report followed by a conversation about treatment: psychological strategies, medication, or a combination of both. What that looks like in practice depends partly on who diagnosed you and whether medication is something you want to explore.

The written report

For a psychiatrist assessment billed under Medicare item 291, a written report covering the diagnostic findings and a 12-month management plan has to reach the referring GP within two weeks. A psychologist assessment also ends with a written report setting out the diagnosis and recommendations, though the exact timing depends on the practice. That report is the document that matters most going forward: it's what a future provider, employer or educational institution will ask to see, not a verbal summary of the appointment.

Talking through treatment options

healthdirect lists two broad treatment paths for ADHD: psychological therapies, such as cognitive behavioural therapy, general psychotherapy, family counselling and skills training, and medication, with stimulant medication usually tried first and non-stimulant alternatives available for people who get side effects. Many people end up using a combination, worked out with their treating clinician rather than fixed in advance at diagnosis.

If medication becomes part of the plan

A registered psychologist cannot prescribe, so if medication turns out to be something you want, the next step is a referral to a psychiatrist, paediatrician or, depending on the state, a specially authorised GP. Exactly who can prescribe, and under what conditions, varies by state and has changed in several states recently. If you already have a written diagnosis and report from a psychologist, that documentation is useful background for the specialist assessment, even though the specialist will still carry out their own clinical review.

This second appointment is not a repeat of the first one. A psychiatrist or paediatrician builds on the existing diagnosis, adding the medical assessment and prescribing decision that a psychologist's report alone doesn't cover, so it's a shorter step than starting the whole process from the beginning.

There's no fixed timeline

Nationally, adults wait just over 10 weeks on average for a first assessment appointment, and some assessments and follow-up steps take considerably longer, according to 2026 University of Wollongong reporting. What happens after diagnosis, from report to treatment conversation to any onward referral, adds further time on top of the assessment itself. There's no guaranteed timeframe for any of these steps, and being wary of anyone who promises a fast result is reasonable.

Every part of this, the report, the treatment conversation, and any onward referral, is a normal part of the process rather than a sign that anything went wrong. It often takes just as long as the assessment itself.

Common questions

Sources

• Medicare Benefits Schedule: item 291
• healthdirect Australia: Attention deficit disorder (ADD) or ADHD
• AADPA: ADHD stimulant prescribing regulations in Australia and New Zealand
• University of Wollongong: A 12-month wait and a $1,400 bill

Related reading

• The psychiatrist pathway: assessment and medication
• ADHD medication types used in Australia
• Questions to ask before you book an ADHD assessment