No, you can book an ADHD assessment directly with a psychologist. A referral is still worth having. It helps your GP stay involved, supports a Mental Health Treatment Plan for related therapy, and matters if you later see a paediatrician or psychiatrist. Bring any referral letter and previous reports to your first appointment.

Most assessments consist of one to three appointments, with questionnaires completed at home in between and report writing afterwards. Testing sessions are longer than a standard consultation, so plan for a decent block of time. Children are usually assessed in shorter sessions to keep concentration realistic and results accurate.

No. In Australia, ADHD medication is prescribed by psychiatrists and paediatricians, with GPs able to continue prescriptions in some circumstances. Your psychologist’s assessment and report provide the detailed evidence a prescriber needs, and can be sent on with your consent. Medication is only one option, and many people also want the non-medication strategies an assessment identifies.

Bring school reports, previous psychology, speech or paediatric reports, a list of current medications, and your glasses or hearing aids if you use them. If you are an adult, information from someone who knew you as a child is valuable, because ADHD must be traced back to childhood. Old report cards are often the most useful thing in the room.

Yes, and it often is. Anxiety, low mood, sleep problems and ADHD overlap heavily, and each can imitate the others. Part of the assessment is untangling which difficulties are longstanding and which appeared more recently. If your symptoms are better explained by something other than ADHD, the report will say so and recommend a different direction.

Yes. An assessment report is commonly used to request classroom adjustments, exam provisions such as extra time, university access plans and reasonable adjustments at work. The recommendations are written to be specific and practical, so the people reading them know what to put in place. You control who receives a copy.