ADHD Psychiatry Service in Queensland
Waitlists to see psychiatrists for ADHD assessments have increased, with clients sometimes having to wait over nine months for an appointment. Undiagnosed and untreated ADHD can significantly impact all aspects of a person's life, including their ability to work, study, and maintain healthy relationships.
At Epsychiatry, we offer services in Queensland with two psychiatrists specialising in ADHD assessments and medication prescribing. The wait time for an appointment with a psychiatrist ranges 3 to 5 weeks.
Referrals from GPs in Queensland
If you suspect you have ADHD and it is impacting your quality of life, you may request a referral from your general practitioner (GP). Your GP can send the referral either via email to [email protected] or by fax.
We suggest you ask your GP for a copy of your referral, as referrals sent by GPs don't always make it to our inbox. To avoid delays in accessing treatment, contact us the next day to confirm that we have received your referral.
Referrals for ADHD assessments are seen on a first-come, first-serve basis; confirming that we have received your referral means you are likely to be seen sooner.
Costs of an ADHD assessment
ADHD assessments usually take between 1 to 2 sessions. To help with the assessment, we suggest you ask your GP for a detailed letter outlining your current symptoms and concerns. We also ask that you complete the questionnaires we send you and forward any pre-existing psychologist reports to us ahead of time.
The initial appointment is priced at $800. Your out-of-pocket expenses, also known as the gap, may range from $110 to $554, depending on whether you have met the Medicare Safety Net Threshold.
If you are uncertain about your Medicare Safety Net status, please consult with us for clarification.
Organising your ADHD assessment with Epsychiatry
We aim to make your onboarding with us as quick and smooth as possible. After we receive your referral, we confirm the costs with you, allocate you to one of our psychiatrists taking ADHD referrals in Queensland, and request you complete a registration form and an online call with us.
We are an online service offering support to patients solely via telehealth. Being online saves you monetary costs and travel time, and we can provide you with greater flexibility in appointment times. Unfortunately, it also raises some unique challenges. We have had several instances where clients have seen our psychiatrists but are yet to pay for their appointments.
Each of our psychiatrists follows their own billing protocols. Depending on which psychiatrist accepts your referral, you will either be directed to provide your credit card details to a third-party billing platform or to complete a bank transfer prior to your appointment.
Given the rise in telehealth services, such billing procedures are increasingly standard. Similar policies are generally in place for your GP in Queensland, as well as other healthcare providers offering online appointments.
What you can do in the lead up to your ADHD assessment
Specific recommendations before you meet your psychiatrist:
- Have a list of your current medications ready. Ideally, your current medications should match the medication list in your GP referral.
- If you have been on ADHD medication in the past; knowing the name and dose of the medication can help.
- There is a significant overlap between sleep disorders and ADHD; if you have had a sleep study before, consider sending us the results. Similarly, if you have had an ECG or blood test in the last three months, we encourage you to ask your GP to forward us the results
- If you have seen a psychologist before, you may have relevant reports or assessments on hand. These reports can help our psychiatrist with your ADHD assessment. You may want to ask your psychologist for this documentation before your appointment.
- In our experience, knowing the name or address of your pharmacy can ensure scripts are sent out early. Our admin team has had to email clients to confirm pharmacy details, which leads to delays. Ensuring scripts are sent on time is essential, especially for people who do FIFO work or live in rural areas of Queensland. Having your pharmacy's name, address, and email on hand will help immensely.
Once we receive your referral, it will be allocated to one of our onboarding coordinators. As mentioned above, our goal is to ensure that your onboarding with us is as smooth and quick as possible. Our onboarding coordinators have worked with hundreds of clients and are very familiar with our psychiatrist process and arranging ADHD assessments in Queensland.
Questions you may have leading up to your ADHD assessment?
If you have any questions, your allocated onboarding coordinator is your 'go-to' person. We have found that clients benefit from an individual onboarding coordinator who assists with fast-tracking appointments.
You can reach us by SMS, call, or email. Some commonly asked questions include:
- What are the costs of my appointments? It depends on where you live and whether you have reached the Medicare Safety Net Threshold or not. Once we have received your referral, we will be able to give you a more accurate breakdown of costs.
- Have I reached the Medicare safety net threshold? The out-of-pocket costs of your ADHD assessment and treatment will be significantly lower (up to 70% less) once you have reached the Medicare Safety Net. For many people, the Medicare Safety Net Threshold makes specialist doctors' appointments much more affordable. Reach out to us, and we'll help you to figure out whether you have reached the threshold.
- Do you have a cancellation list? Yes, both our ADHD psychiatrists for Queensland have cancellation lists. During your onboarding, let us know if you want to be on our cancellation list. Being on a cancellation list is a great way to be seen sooner.
- I already have a diagnosis; do I need another assessment? If you have already been diagnosed with ADHD, that will help speed things up. Please send us any old reports or letters along with the referral. You will still need an initial appointment; however, our psychiatrists can use this extra information in your treatment planning.
Collecting ADHD medication at Queensland pharmacies
Our psychiatrists can send prescriptions for ADHD medications to pharmacies in Queensland. If you and your psychiatrist agree that ADHD medications will make up part of your treatment plan, we will need your local pharmacy's details so we can send your script there.