{"id":454353,"date":"2026-02-02T21:20:09","date_gmt":"2026-02-02T21:20:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/454353\/"},"modified":"2026-02-02T21:20:09","modified_gmt":"2026-02-02T21:20:09","slug":"victoria-gps-to-be-trained-to-diagnose-and-treat-adults-and-children-with-attention-deficit-hyperactivity-disorder","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/454353\/","title":{"rendered":"Victoria GPs to be trained to diagnose and treat adults and children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder"},"content":{"rendered":"

General practitioners in Victoria will soon be able to diagnose and treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in adults and children, in a move the state government says will cut lengthy wait times and thousands of dollars for those seeking a diagnosis or care.<\/p>\n

In changes to be introduced to parliament later this year, 150 GPs across the state will be able to undertake training to expand their scope of practice in order to safely diagnose, treat and prescribe medication for ADHD.<\/p>\n

The $750,000 investment will deliver accredited training for the initial 150 GPs by September this year.<\/p>\n

Is there a rise in ADHD and how do you get diagnosed?<\/a><\/p>\n

October marks Attention-Deficit\/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) awareness month and the focus this year is on the many faces of the neurological condition.<\/p>\n

Premier Jacinta Allan said the change was being made so that ADHD care would be easier and cheaper for busy families to access.<\/p>\n

“No child or family should be left behind because the system is too complex, too hard or too expensive,” she said.<\/p>\n

Through the initiative, GPs will also consider non-medication care options including lifestyle strategies and referrals for behavioural therapy, psychology and education to manage symptoms including attention, emotional regulation, and concentration challenges, the state government said.<\/p>\n

Last year The Royal Australian College of GPs (RACGP) called on the Victorian government to join other states in announcing reforms in allowing GPs to diagnose and treat ADHD, including Western Australia<\/a>, the ACT,<\/a> New South Wales<\/a>, South Australia<\/a> and Queensland.<\/p>\n

On December 1, Queensland became the first state to allow GPs the ability to diagnose and prescribe<\/a> medication for adults with ADHD with no additional time needed for upskill.<\/p>\n

In Victoria, adults can be diagnosed and prescribed medication only by a psychiatrist, while children must see a paediatrician or a psychiatrist.<\/p>\n

\"Attention<\/p>\n

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can be treated through a number of medications such as Concerta, Vyvanse and Ritalin.\u00a0 (ABC News: Adam Kennedy)<\/p>\n

RACGP said that ADHD was within the scope of general practice, pointing out that specialist GPs were often patients’ first point of contact for an ADHD assessment.<\/p>\n

“As specialist GPs, we care for our patients throughout their lives and are the most accessed and most accessible part of the medical system,” said RACGP Victoria chair Anita Mu\u00f1oz.<\/p>\n

‘Chance to thrive’<\/p>\n

Across Australia, ADHD is estimated to affect between 6 and 10 per cent of children and adolescents, and between 2 and 6 per cent of adults.<\/p>\n

Up to 163,000 Victorian children and 320,000 adults may be living with ADHD in Victoria, said Dr Mu\u00f1oz.<\/p>\n

“Many of these patients can’t access an assessment, which may currently only be provided by a psychiatrist or for younger patients, a paediatrician,” she said.<\/p>\n

“They face long wait times and high out-of-pocket costs, with a comprehensive ADHD assessment in Victoria costing up to $2,000.”<\/p>\n

Minister for Mental Health Ingrid Stitt said the changes would give more Victorians a “chance to thrive”.<\/p>\n

“Undiagnosed or untreated ADHD can have a significant effect on a person’s life \u2014 whether it’s at school, work or in the home,” she said.<\/p>\n

A targeted consultation with stakeholders will soon begin ahead of the proposed changes, the state government said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"General practitioners in Victoria will soon be able to diagnose and treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":285323,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[2670,2671,64,63,4046,34248,3786,137,5266,500,16287,2177,660,26693],"class_list":["post-454353","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-healthcare","tag-adhd","tag-attention-deficit-hyperactivity-disorder","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-doctors","tag-general-practitioners","tag-government","tag-health","tag-health-care","tag-healthcare","tag-jacinta-allan","tag-state","tag-victoria","tag-victorian-government"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/454353","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=454353"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/454353\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/285323"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=454353"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=454353"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=454353"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}