"Okay, so I think it might be ADHD. What do I actually do now?"
That's usually where people are by the time they raise it with me. Not right at the start, idly wondering, but a fair way into it already, with a dozen browser tabs open, a half finished online quiz, maybe a cousin who got diagnosed last year, and a real, quiet sense that this might finally explain something. And then they hit a wall, because the next bit, who can actually assess this, how long it takes, whether you even need a referral, is genuinely confusing right now, and the rules differ from one state to the next.
So let me lay it out as a map, and show you where a GP fits at every step, because you really don't have to figure this out alone.
One thing first, before any of the pathway stuff, because I think it's the part that matters most. You don't have to be certain it's ADHD, and you don't have to be at some kind of breaking point, to be worth a proper conversation. Whether you're noticing this in yourself or you're a parent watching your child struggle, wanting to understand why things feel harder than they should is a completely legitimate reason to come in. (That question, "am I bad enough to bother a GP about this?", is one I've written about more fully here, and the short answer is yes, you're allowed to come and ask.) You don't have to be sure it's ADHD to come and ask the question.
Start with a conversation, not a quiz
The first real step isn't a test you pass or fail. It's a conversation.
When someone comes in about this, I'm not reaching for a ten minute checklist to score anyone. I want to hear what's actually going on, in your own words, and how it shows up across the different parts of life, at school or work, at home, in relationships. A good assessment is built from a proper history, a look at how things affect day to day life, often a few words from someone who's known the person a long time, and a careful ruling out of the other things that can cause the very same struggles. That takes more than one quick visit, and it's meant to.
You've probably already done a few online quizzes at midnight. Those aren't nothing, they're a reasonable place to start a conversation, but a quiz is not a diagnosis, and neither is the kind of formal screening questionnaire a GP might use as a starting point (there are validated ones for adults and for children). It's a way of opening up the right questions, not a verdict on its own.
You don't need to arrive with a diagnosis. You just need to help your GP see how this actually shows up day to day, whether that's for you or for someone you're bringing in. Before the visit, it can help to jot down a few real examples:
- Focus and follow-through - where attention tends to slip, or things get started but not finished.
- Time and organisation - the bits of life that pile up, like appointments, everyday admin, or running late despite genuinely trying not to.
- School, work or study - where it shows up in getting things done.
- Relationships and home - how it plays out with the people around you.
It also helps to note when this first seemed to show up, since ADHD starts early in life even if it's sometimes only recognised later. And the view of someone who's known the person a long time can be genuinely useful, a partner, a parent, an old friend, or a teacher who sees them every day, just a few words about how it looked earlier on. That's helpful if you have it, never a requirement, so don't let it stop you coming in.
A quick word about the people who cope almost too well, because this is where ADHD slips through. If you've held things together by working twice as hard as everyone around you, it can be missed precisely because you've been so good at compensating. It's the same for the child who keeps it together all day at school and only comes apart once they're safely home. That line, "but you seem fine, you're managing", or "but they're doing so well", is exactly what keeps a lot of people from being taken seriously, including in their own heads. Coping well doesn't mean nothing's going on underneath.
Things that can look like ADHD
This is the part most articles skip, and it's where looking at the whole person really pays off.
Several common, very treatable things produce the same fog, restlessness and trouble focusing that ADHD does. That's exactly why a careful assessment checks them before anyone lands on a label. And to be clear about why we do it, ruling these out isn't about looking for a reason to say no. It's about making sure that if something treatable is sitting in the mix, you actually get it sorted, sometimes faster than you'd hoped.
- Thyroid problems - an underactive or overactive thyroid (the small gland in your neck that sets your body's pace) can blur your thinking, drain your energy or leave you wired and restless. A simple blood test checks it.
- Sleep - poor sleep, and sleep apnoea in particular (where breathing keeps interrupting through the night without you knowing), wrecks attention and memory in a way that looks a lot like ADHD. Plenty of people are simply not getting enough sleep, full stop.
- Iron deficiency - low iron (and the stores behind it) can leave you foggy, flat and unable to concentrate, and it's easy to check and treat.
- Anxiety - a busy, racing mind that won't switch off can look like distractibility from the outside. Anxiety can mimic ADHD, and it often travels alongside it too. (If you'd like to understand how anxiety shows up in the body, I've written about that here.)
- Low mood and depression - when mood drops, focus, motivation and follow-through usually drop with it, which can look a lot like ADHD.
- Sustained high stress - long stretches of pressure, at work, at home, as a carer, genuinely fray attention and organisation, no diagnosis required.
- Substance use - alcohol and other substances affect sleep, mood and concentration, and it's worth an honest, non-judgemental look as part of the picture.
Now, an important nuance, because I don't want this to read as "so it's probably not ADHD, off you go." Several of these often sit alongside ADHD rather than instead of it. It's frequently not one or the other. Untangling what's what is exactly the work a thorough assessment is for, and it's why the whole person look matters so much.
Getting a diagnosis, and where I fit in
Here's where it gets a little more complicated, and honestly where I think a GP is most useful. A diagnosis of ADHD comes from a careful, thorough assessment. Who is able to make that diagnosis, and who can prescribe for it, varies across Australia, the rules differ from state to state and several of them are changing right now. Rather than try to map every state's rules here, which would be out of date before long, the simplest thing is to contact the clinic you're thinking of and ask directly whether their doctors diagnose or prescribe for ADHD, or whether they would refer you on.
Whatever the answer turns out to be, this next part is the bit I care about most. My role is to be the steady point of ongoing, holistic care around all of it. To look at the whole picture, rule out the things that can look like ADHD, treat what can be treated now, and coordinate the referrals you need, whether that's to a specialist for the assessment itself, or to allied health professionals like psychologists for the support that sits alongside it. You don't have to work out who to see, or in what order, on your own. That's a big part of what the first conversation is for.
The journey, and where a GP fits
From first questions to ongoing care
After a diagnosis is a beginning, not a finish line
Here's the thing people don't always expect: a diagnosis isn't the finish line. It's a beginning, a tool for understanding yourself, not a magic fix you collect and take home.
Once a diagnosis has been made, your GP becomes part of the long game. If medication turns out to be part of the plan, it's one option among several, and it's started and overseen together with the specialist who made the diagnosis. From there, a lot of the routine, ongoing management can happen closer to home, with your GP, in shared care, so you're not driving back and forth for every review. I won't name medications here, partly because the rules are strict and partly because the name matters far less than the plan it sits inside.
And a lot of the real, day to day improvement comes from the parts medication doesn't touch.
- Sleep and routine - protecting sleep and building gentle, repeatable rhythms into the day takes real pressure off attention and mood.
- Structure and systems - external scaffolding for time and organisation, calendars, reminders, lists, breaking big tasks into small ones, does the job working memory finds hard, so you're not relying on willpower alone.
- Movement - regular physical activity genuinely helps focus, mood and sleep, and it's one of the most reliable levers there is.
- Nutrition - getting all the vitamins, minerals and steady fuel the brain needs helps energy, focus and mood across the day. This is about being properly nourished, not dieting in the cutting-weight or fad sense.
- The things that travel alongside - treating the anxiety, low mood, sleep or other things that often sit with ADHD often lifts far more than you'd expect.
- Support for school, work and relationships - small, practical adjustments and a bit of understanding from the people around you go a long way.
And here's something worth holding onto: you don't need a diagnosis in hand to start most of this. The sleep, the structure, the movement, treating the things that travel alongside, all of that can begin now, whatever an assessment eventually shows.
This is whole person care, and it's the work that lasts: helping manage things alongside the specialist, and supporting the parts of life a prescription was never going to reach.
So wherever you start, and whichever way the assessment goes, the picture is the same: you've got a GP in your corner for the long haul. (If you'd like to see more of how I approach mental health here, the Mental Wellbeing page lays it out.)
Where to from here
If any of this resonates, the most useful first move is rarely the dramatic one. It's a conversation that looks at the whole picture and helps you work out the right next step, whatever that turns out to be.
You don't have to be sure, you don't have to have it all worked out, and you don't have to navigate any of it alone. When you're ready, you're welcome to book an appointment to talk it through.
Wondering about ADHD?
Whether it's for you or someone you care about, the first step is a conversation that looks at the whole picture. Book an appointment and we'll work out the right next step together.
Common questions
