GPs widen ADHD access
- About 100 general practitioners in South Australia are now qualified to diagnose and treat ADHD, with plans to expand access. - The Conversation warns that broader GP-based diagnosis risks overdiagnosis given an eleven-fold rise in ADHD prescriptions over 20 years. - Expanding primary-care diagnosis increases families entering the system while prompting calls for safeguards and clearer diagnostic standards (abc.net.au) (theconversation.com).
South Australia has started letting specially trained family doctors diagnose and treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, shifting care out of specialist clinics and into general practice. (abc.net.au) From February 28, 2026, trained general practitioners in the state have been able to assess, diagnose, treat and prescribe medication for ADHD in adults and in children aged 8 and older without first referring them to a psychiatrist or paediatrician. (sahealth.sa.gov.au) About 100 South Australian general practitioners have now completed that training, and the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners said it wants roughly another 100 trained by the end of 2026. (abc.net.au) ADHD is a neurodevelopmental condition linked to persistent problems with attention, impulsivity and hyperactivity, and diagnosis usually depends on a clinical history collected across settings such as home, school or work rather than on a single lab test. (sahealth.sa.gov.au) The policy change follows years of complaints about long waits and high fees for specialist assessments in South Australia, where the state government said the old rules made diagnosis “extremely difficult” for many patients. (abc.net.au) Patients interviewed by ABC said the new pathway was faster and cheaper than seeing a psychiatrist, and one South Australian woman said getting assessed through her general practitioner changed her life “for the better.” (abc.net.au) The expansion is also feeding a second debate: how to widen access without diagnosing people who would not meet a careful threshold for disorder. The Conversation reported that Australian ADHD prescription rates have risen eleven-fold over the past 20 years. (theconversation.com) That article argues the risk grows when more clinicians enter the system unless they use consistent standards, check whether symptoms cause real impairment, and rule out other explanations such as stress, sleep problems, trauma or substance use. (theconversation.com) South Australia has tried to answer that concern by limiting the new model to specially trained doctors rather than opening diagnosis to every general practitioner at once. State training material says the program was built with the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners and includes ongoing support after accreditation. (sahealth.sa.gov.au) The result is a wider front door to ADHD care, but not a settled argument about where diagnosis should happen. South Australia is betting that more trained family doctors can cut waits without lowering the bar. (abc.net.au)
