In Australia, it is estimated that there are about 815,000 people living with ADHD. Unfortunately, ADHD in adulthood is poorly recognised, underdiagnosed and undertreated in adults in Australia. This is of particular concern, due to the adverse impact of ADHD on nearly every aspect of an adult’s life.
ADHD presents differently in adults then it does in children. Adults presenting with ADHD tend to present in a more subtle manner, mostly due to years of having to create mechanisms of coping and or overcompensating to help deal with the difficulties they often face in their daily living. So externally, it can seem that a person is highly functional and very organised. When in reality, it is often reported that adults feel a constant feeling of ‘having 1000 browser tabs open’ in the mind at once.
Not every person with ADHD displays all of the symptoms, nor does every person with ADHD experience the symptoms of ADHD to the same level of severity or impairment. Some people have mild ADHD, while others have severe ADHD resulting in significant impairments. ADHD can cause problems in tertiary educational settings, at work, home, relationships, in parenting, and can affect other tasks of daily living.
Thankfully, ADHD is one of the most treatable psychological concerns. Therefore, early detection and diagnosis can have a highly beneficial impact on an adult who has ADHD.
A: “It was the happiest day of my life. Without a shadow of doubt, because finally I could understand what it was that had shaped me more than anything else in my life. I was absolutely eleated when I found out.”
Andy Hutchinson – Insight season 2022 ep 1
A: “It was such a relief! My partner came home and said “why are you crying?” I said…I’ve just understood myself. It was like everything made sense. I didn’t feel dumb anymore, I had a path moving forward.”
Lizette Lee – Insight season 2022 ep 1
In the first instance, if you are worried about any aspect of your functioning, development or mental health, we recommend you start by discussing your concerns with your General Practitioner. Your GP is your primary health provider, and it is always beneficial to have your GP involved in your health concerns. However, a GP referral is NOT required to commence your confirmation of ADHD.
Contact our friendly team on 03 5323 0277 or contact us via our online form here. Our team will provide you with a detailed explanation of the assessment process and provide estimated costs and time frames.
Following best practice guidelines, all of our adult assessments start with an intake session. In this session, the psychologist will ask you questions about your concerns, abilities, strengths, difficulties, challenges and developmental history.
Psychometric testing using validated psychometric tools designed to assess adult ADHD. You will receive 3 -4 Assessment Questionnaires in online format which can be completed in the comfort of your own home.
Your psychologist will then take a deep dive, spending many hours reviewing your intake and assessment sessions thoroughly and completely. They will then formulate your written report, recommendations and feedback session.
A feedback session will be scheduled approximately 3-4 weeks after completion of the assessment. In this session, your psychologist will provide you with a written report and verbal explanation of the assessment results and recommendations.
Our priority is providing comprehensive reports and feedback in simple language to help you understand what the results reveal. The emphasis of our reports is on recommendations and strategies. We provide practical, easy to adopt recommendations and strategies for you to commence using in order to make immediate improvements in the quality of your life and functioning.
We offer a second feedback session as we understand how overwhelming all this new information can be. This provides you the time and opportunity to process your written report and initial feedback session and then come back and ask clarifying questions and discuss strategies and recommendations. Loved ones are welcome to join this session if you would find this helpful.
We offer ongoing therapy to assist with managing the symptoms of ADHD. Evidence based treatment for ADHD includes a combination of medication with therapy. In cases of mild ADHD therapy can be a stand alone treatment.
Evidence based therapies for ADHD include:
Formal diagnosis of Adult ADHD requires a multidisciplinary approach. This includes your General Practitioner, Psychologist, Psychiatrist and, at times, other medical specialists. At Mindspace Psychology, our psychologists provide you with a written report and verbal explanation of the assessment results. This includes an indication if you meet the criteria for Adult ADHD diagnosis. Our reports can be reviewed by a Psychiatrist who may confirm diagnosis and prescribe medication where appropriate.
Our experience has been that most adults experience significant relief when receiving confirmation of meeting the criteria of Adult ADHD. It’s an experience that “everything makes sense” and they can move on from beating themselves up and instead focus on understanding how their brain works, understanding their “ADHD superpowers” and learning new ways to adjust, improve performance and success in their daily lives.
At Mindspace Psychology, we pride ourselves on providing comprehensive reports and feedback in simple language to help individuals understand what the results reveal about them. We use assessment tools with sound psychometric properties and our assessments are carried out by trained professionals. The emphasis of our reports is in the recommendations and strategies to provide practical, easy to adopt recommendations and strategies for you to commence using in order to make immediate improvements in the quality of your life and functioning.
The cost of an assessment depends on many factors and a price will be provided to you after you have submitted an enquiry, to ensure we offer you the correct assessment package based on your presenting issues
We are dedicated to redefining your experience of therapy and assessments. Our client support team is available to support you with questions and enquiries. Booking your appointment is easy, call us on 03 5323 0277 or click here to make an appointment.
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