Australians will soon find it much smoother to be diagnosed and treated for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
Victoria has joined a growing list of states to give the green light for general practitioners to tackle ADHD, which is estimated to affect one in 20 Australians.
Adults in the state can currently only be diagnosed and prescribed medication by a psychiatrist, and children must see a paediatrician or psychiatrist.
The process was leading to high out-of-pocket costs and delays, Premier Jacinta Allan said.
“At the moment, too many families are waiting too long,” she told reporters as state parliament returned on Tuesday.
“It can take months, (and) for some up to more than a year, to receive that first diagnosis and then the repeat visits to get your script refilled adds stress for these families.”
Untreated ADHD can lead to educational underachievement, reduced productivity, substance use disorders and increased morbidity and mortality.
Under the reforms, which do not require legislation, the Victorian government will spend $750,000 to deliver accredited training for an initial 150 GPs by September.
The GPs will be spread across the state and Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas expected the program to be up and running before the end of 2026.
In 2017, Queensland became the first Australian jurisdiction to allow all GPs to initiate stimulants for children as young as four.
The scheme was expanded in December to enable all GPs to initiate, adjust and continue prescriptions for adult patients without any extra training.
Western Australia and South Australia are rolling out programs for trained GPs, while the Tasmanian Liberal government has flagged similar changes.
NSW has granted ADHD-diagnosed people as young as six the ability to see a trained GP for ongoing prescriptions, but only a smaller number of GPs in priority areas will be allowed to diagnose and initiate medication under a second stage.
Royal Australian College of General Practitioners co-chair Aadhil Aziz, who has two children with ADHD, said he wanted a nationally consistent model.
“ADHD doesn’t stop across state and territory lines,” Dr Aziz said.
“We should, generally, have the same rules all across Australia.”
Research published in the Medical Journal of Australia found the number of Australians diagnosed with ADHD more than doubled from 2013 to 2020 and those taking ADHD medications jumped about 300 per cent in the decade to 2022/23.
The Melbourne-based authors attributed the rise to growing public awareness but warned the current commercial model for diagnosis and treatment was “encouraging misdiagnosis”.
Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists chair Simon Stafrace was confident enough training could mitigate misdiagnosis stemming from easier access.
“We know that there is such a thing as over diagnosis … there are risks associated with medication,” he said.
“But we also believe that’s not a reason to withhold services.”
