General practitioner management of adult ADHD: Challenges and implications

Queensland has recently allowed general practitioners (GPs) to diagnose and manage adult attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), aiming to relieve pressure on specialist services. However, adult ADHD assessment is complex and requires multi-session evaluation, collateral information and differential diagnosis. Most GPs report limited time and training, and Medicare rebates favour brief over comprehensive consultations, making it difficult to deliver this level of care. As a result, the reforms may work paradoxically, increasing misdiagnosis risk and placing further strain on services. This viewpoint outlines these risks and proposes ways to implement reforms that enable guideline-level GP ADHD care.