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Adult ADHD assessment: what to expect
A plain-language walkthrough of an adult ADHD assessment (what happens before, on the day, and after) so you can decide whether to enquire.
Clinically reviewed by Consultant Psychiatry Team · FRANZCP
If you're reading this, you've probably been wondering about ADHD for a while. Maybe a friend mentioned it. Maybe you read a thread that felt uncomfortably accurate. This article walks through what a formal adult ADHD assessment with our team looks like, so you can decide whether to take the next step.
Why a structured assessment matters
Online questionnaires (DIVA, ASRS and others) are useful as a starting point, but they're not a diagnosis. Adult ADHD shares features with anxiety, depression, sleep disorders, trauma, and learning differences. A formal assessment is what tells those apart, so you don't end up on a treatment plan that doesn't actually fit.
A structured assessment also generates a written record, which matters if you're going to discuss medication, request workplace adjustments, or change clinicians later.
What's included
Our adult ADHD assessment is delivered as a Complete Care Package. It runs in two parts:
- A 60 to 90 minute intake consultation with one of our Mental Health Clinicians: history, screening tools, developmental and school background, and how things show up for you at work or home.
- A separate diagnostic consultation with one of our psychiatrists: a structured clinical interview against DSM-5 criteria, with the intake material already in front of them.
- A written diagnostic report and treatment plan you can keep.
- A consultation letter to your GP.
What to bring (or send in advance)
- A current GP or Nurse Practitioner referral. Any Australian GP can write one. This is what makes you eligible for a Medicare rebate.
- Current bloods, an ECG and a urine drug screen. Your GP will arrange these. We need them complete before we book you in.
- School reports if you have them. Anything from your developmental years that gives us a window into childhood functioning helps. If nothing is available, we work with what we have. It does not rule you out.
- A list of current medications.
What happens on the day
Your first appointment is preferably in person at our Melbourne clinic. The consultation itself is structured but unhurried. Sixty to ninety minutes is the right amount of time for a proper assessment: long enough to take a real history, short enough that you're not exhausted by the end.
We're listening for the full pattern, not just symptoms in the present. ADHD is a developmental condition, so the history matters as much as the snapshot.
What you leave with
- A clear answer. Yes, no, or sometimes "yes, and there is something else going on too."
- A written diagnostic report.
- A treatment plan, which may include medication, behavioural strategies, and a recommended review schedule.
- A consultation letter back to your GP.
What if it isn't ADHD
You still get a full psychiatric assessment, a written summary, and clear next steps. That often includes a referral to somewhere more suitable: anxiety treatment, an autism assessment, psychology, or a different specialist pathway. The assessment is not wasted if the answer is no.
Cost
The Complete Care Package is around $1,250. A Medicare rebate applies for eligible patients with a current GP or Nurse Practitioner referral; the exact out-of-pocket gap depends on your eligibility and the item number used on the day. The full fee schedule is published. We send the exact out-of-pocket in writing before you book.
Next step
If this sounds like what you've been looking for, send a short enquiry through our patient contact form . We will call you back within one working day to talk through fit, fees, and timing. No commitment.