ADHD Assessments

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Think You Might Have ADHD? Here Is How Adults Get Diagnosed in Melbourne

Start with a GP appointment in Abbotsford. Your GP talks through your symptoms. They decide whether you need a referral, and they write it. Once you have a diagnosis, they look after your medicine.

This page is about ADHD in adults. In Victoria, an adult is told they have ADHD by a psychiatrist — a doctor who treats mental health. If you are asking about a child, please call the practice on (03) 9027 6262.

Two things are worth knowing before you book. In Victoria, an adult’s ADHD diagnosis comes from a psychiatrist, not from a GP. And you cannot see a psychiatrist without a referral — a letter from your GP that gets you in.

That letter is what your GP is for. Book an appointment, talk it through, and leave with a clear next step.

Can a GP diagnose ADHD?

No. Not here, and not anywhere in Victoria.

In Victoria, only a psychiatrist can tell an adult they have ADHD, after a full assessment. That is the rule here, not a choice this practice has made.

What your GP does instead is the part most people do not know about. Your GP talks through your symptoms and your health history, and thinks about whether something else could explain what you have noticed. Then they decide whether to refer you for a full assessment. Once you have a diagnosis and a plan, your GP writes your scripts and checks how the medicine is working, so you are not back at the psychiatrist every time.

So the GP appointment is not the diagnosis. It is the appointment that makes the diagnosis possible — and a real check of your health in its own right.

Which of these sounds like you?

You think you have ADHD and have no diagnosis

Start at step one. Book a GP appointment and talk through what you have noticed. Your GP then decides whether to refer you for a full assessment.

You already have a diagnosis and need ongoing scripts

Many of the GPs here write and monitor ADHD scripts, working with the psychiatrist who treats you. Bring your psychiatrist’s letter and treatment plan.

What you will not find here

We do not do ADHD assessments and we do not give diagnoses — that is the psychiatrist’s job, and we refer you to one. If it is the assessment itself you want, a referral from us is the step that gets you there.

The line between your GP and the psychiatrist

Your GP at Yarra Medical does this	Your GP does not do this
Talks through your symptoms and your health history	Give you the ADHD diagnosis — in Victoria that’s the psychiatrist’s job
Thinks about whether something else could explain your symptoms	Do the full assessment, with its interviews and questionnaires
Decides whether you need a referral for a full assessment, and writes it	Set your treatment plan — the psychiatrist works that out and sends it to your GP
Writes your scripts and checks how the medicine is working, following the psychiatrist’s plan. Under the current Victorian rules, your GP needs a government permit to keep doing this, and you need a review with your psychiatrist every two years. These rules are subject to change — confirm with the practice at the time of your appointment.	Book the psychiatrist appointment for you — you book that one yourself, with the referral letter
Runs the safety checks before you start. After that they check how you are going, and change your dose if the psychiatrist’s letter says to.

Six steps, start to script

We handle this

Your GP appointment

You talk through your symptoms. Your GP looks at them next to your health history, then decides whether you need a referral for an ADHD assessment.

The referral letter

If you need one, your GP writes to a psychiatrist who does ADHD assessments. The letter sets out your symptoms and why you are being referred, and gives you a Medicare rebate for the visit under Medicare item 291.

The assessment

You book the psychiatrist yourself, with the letter in hand. They assess you — this can include interviews, questionnaires and other checks to see how your symptoms affect your daily life.

Diagnosis and plan

The psychiatrist decides whether you have ADHD and writes a treatment plan, which may include medication, therapy, or both. The plan comes back to the GP who referred you.

We handle this

Back to us

You come back for follow-up appointments. You and your GP work through the plan and your treatment choices, medication included.

We handle this

Starting medication

ADHD medicine is controlled by law, so your GP needs a government permit — a Schedule 8 permit — before they can write your script. Under the current Victorian rules, your GP applies for it once the psychiatrist’s paperwork arrives. That’s why medication doesn’t start the same day as your diagnosis. Your GP runs safety checks first, then tracks how you are going and changes your treatment if your psychiatrist’s letter says to.

What happens at the first appointment

It is a conversation, not a test. You describe what you have noticed. Your GP looks at your symptoms and your health history, and thinks about whether something else fits. Then they decide whether a full assessment is worth doing. If it is, you leave with a referral letter.

You do not need to have it worked out first. If your symptoms are affecting your work or your study, say so at this appointment.

While you wait for the psychiatrist, your GP can send you to a psychologist and give you general advice. Your GP cannot write ADHD medicine until you have a formal diagnosis — in that window your GP’s job is the referral, and then the Schedule 8 permit once the psychiatrist’s paperwork arrives.

What to bring

Your psychiatrist’s letter and treatment plan, if you already have a diagnosis — it makes the handover easy.

Allow 15 to 20 minutes. That is how long a first talk about ADHD takes. Our fees are all listed on the fees page.

The line between your GP and the psychiatrist

Your GP appointment. Yarra Medical is a private billing practice, so there is a fee for your visit. Every fee is listed on our fees page, and Medicare gives you some of it back.

Some visits are bulk billed. That covers children under 16 and people with a valid Healthcare Card, Monday to Friday between 12:00 and 14:50 (from 13:00 for Dr Lisa Zeng). A higher fee applies on Saturdays and after 6pm, and those lower rates do not apply on weekends or public holidays. You pay on the day, and there is a small extra charge if you pay by card.

The psychiatrist’s fee. The psychiatrist sets their own fee. It is usually the largest cost in the whole process, and it is not a fee we set or control. Ask them what they charge when you book.

Already diagnosed? How shared care works here

If a psychiatrist has diagnosed you and written a plan, you do not need to see them for every script. Many of the GPs here write ADHD scripts, working with the psychiatrist who treats you.

That set-up is called shared care. The psychiatrist writes the plan; your GP writes the scripts and keeps track of how you are going, inside that plan.

Under the current Victorian rules there are two things to know: your GP needs a permit from the government to keep writing your scripts, and you need a review with your psychiatrist every two years. These rules can change, so ask us at your appointment.

Bring the letter and the plan to your first appointment.

Which of our GPs look after ADHD

Several of the GPs here work with ADHD patients. Many can write ADHD scripts and check how you are going, working with the psychiatrist who treats you.

Their job is to work out what is going on, and to refer you. After that they write your scripts and check how you are going, under the psychiatrist’s plan. They do not make the diagnosis — that is not a gap in the service, it is how the pathway works in Victoria.

How long the wait is

The psychiatrist step is not quick. Once your GP writes the referral, you book the psychiatrist yourself, and in Melbourne that wait can be long. Better to know now than to find out later.

These waits belong to the psychiatry services, not to Yarra Medical, and they change. At the time of writing, a typical wait is a few weeks for an online service, and several months for a face-to-face appointment. You can choose either, and your GP can talk it through with you.

From your first GP appointment to a diagnosis, about three months is typical. That is a guide, not a promise — your GP can tell you what the waits look like on the day you are referred.

Medication does not start the moment your diagnosis arrives. When the psychiatrist’s paperwork comes back, your GP applies for the Schedule 8 permit — under the current Victorian rules, ADHD medicine cannot be prescribed without it. Then your GP writes your scripts and checks how you are going, under the psychiatrist’s plan.

Two things hold true while you wait: your referral does not run out quickly, and your GP stays your point of contact the whole way through.

Frequently asked questions

How do adults get tested for ADHD in Melbourne?

Start with a GP appointment. Your GP looks at your symptoms and your health history. If a full assessment looks warranted, they refer you to a psychiatrist who does them. The psychiatrist assesses you and makes the diagnosis.

Do I need a referral to see a psychiatrist about ADHD?

Yes. The GP referral is what gets you in to the psychiatrist. It also gives you the Medicare rebate under item 291.

What does the GP actually check at the first appointment?

Your symptoms and your health history. Your GP is working out whether ADHD is the likely explanation, and whether something else fits better. It is a real check of your health, not a form-filling exercise.

Can a GP in Victoria prescribe ADHD medication?

Yes, once a psychiatrist has diagnosed you and written a plan. Many of the GPs here write ADHD scripts and check how you are going, working with the psychiatrist who treats you. Under the current Victorian rules, your GP needs a government permit to keep doing this, and you need a review with your psychiatrist every two years. These rules can change, so ask us at your appointment.

What does an ADHD assessment cost?

Two fees are involved. Your GP appointment is charged at our normal consultation rate, and every rate is listed on the fees page. The psychiatrist charges you separately and sets their own fee — usually the larger cost, so ask them when you book.

How long does the whole thing take?

About three months from your first GP appointment to a diagnosis is typical. The wait for the psychiatrist is the longest part — at the time of writing, a few weeks for an online service and several months for a face-to-face appointment. These waits sit with the psychiatry services and change, so your GP can tell you what to expect on the day. After the diagnosis there is one more step before medication starts: under the current Victorian rules, your GP applies for the Schedule 8 permit once the psychiatrist’s paperwork arrives.

I am asking about my child, not myself.

This page covers ADHD in adults. Please call the practice on (03) 9027 6262.

Start with a conversation

You do not need to have it worked out before you book. If ADHD is something you have been turning over, start with an appointment with one of our GPs in Abbotsford. They will tell you honestly whether a referral is the right next step.

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