A Senate inquiry into attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has concluded the condition is a "public health concern" and that a "more consistent and coordinated approach" is needed to improve access to assessment and support services.
The committee, made up of senators from all sides of politics, examined 700 submissions and the evidence given by 79 witnesses at three days of public hearings across Australia.
It found factors such as where people live, cost, stigma, gender, and cultural and linguistic background, as well as different prescribing regulations in each state and territory were impacting the ability of people with ADHD to access the assessment and support they needed. In some cases, they had to wait years for help.
The report also noted that not being able to access adequate care and support had "lifelong" impacts on people with ADHD, including their health, self-esteem, relationships, education, employment, and financial status.
Greens senator Jordon Steele-John, one of the members of the committee, said the inquiry's report was historic.
"What has been made abundantly clear throughout this inquiry is that ADHD is a deeply stigmatised and misunderstood condition," he told the Senate on Monday.
What did the inquiry recommend?
The inquiry made 15 unanimous recommendations in its 284-page report, which largely related to creating national consistency in the assessment and treatment of ADHD and making it more affordable.
It called for the government to fund a national framework for ADHD, to be co-designed by advocacy and community organisations and people with lived experience.
Expediting the development of uniform prescribing rules for ADHD medication, to ensure consistency across states and territories, was also recommended.
Other recommendations included reviewing and making changes to Medicare and the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, the implementation of shared models of care, and improving awareness and reducing stigma through government-funded research, better training for medical professionals, and funding lived experience advocacy groups.
"It is clear that a more consistent and coordinated approach is needed across government systems to ensure these systems are accessible to people with ADHD," the committee said in its report.
"This includes reforms to health and education systems, to ensure people have consistent access to care at all stages of their life.
"Sufficient government funding will be vital in implementing the committee's recommendations."
A Greens push for a disability minister to be included in cabinet was rejected by government and Coalition senators, despite the recent Disability Royal Commission making the same recommendation.
The federal government has three months to provide its response to the inquiry.
How have ADHD experts and people with lived experience reacted?
Dr Alison Poulton, a paediatrician specialising in the treatment of ADHD, said the report highlighted "the desperate lack of support" for those seeking diagnosis and treatment in Australia.
"With growing awareness of ADHD, the lack of information and qualified professionals who can diagnose and treat it has reached crisis point," she said.
"It would be great if the result of the Senate inquiry meant that future generations of people with ADHD were able to get the support and treatment they needed."
ADHD Foundation spokesperson Christopher Ouizeman, who gave evidence at the inquiry's Canberra hearing, said the findings confirmed what many in the community already knew.
"For too long, the Australian public health system has not adequately acknowledged ADHD. They generally failed to diagnose it, treat it, and provide medication. Right now, we have cases where waiting lists across Australia for private psychiatrists and specialist paediatricians exceeded 12 months," he said.
"We hope that the comprehensive recommendations made by this inquiry provide as a catalyst for an overhaul in thinking about the debilitating nature of ADHD and the way the condition is now funded."
The Australian ADHD Professionals Association (AADPA), which also gave evidence to the inquiry, said it "welcomes and supports" all 15 of the recommendations.
"The report is very detailed and while it will take a lot of hard work from everyone, with the proper support from the government, the recommendations are very achievable," AADPA president Professor Dave Coghill said.
AADPA's lived experience director Louise Brown said while the report was a "heartbreaking" read, the recommendations were "definitely a move in the right direction".
Presenter and entertainer Em Rusicano, who gave evidence at the inquiry's public hearing in Melbourne, said there were "some big wins" for the ADHD community - as well as some missed opportunities.
"The fact that they're not recognising ADHD as part of NDIS so that, especially late-diagnosed adults, can get much-needed therapies: OT (occupational therapy), speech, psychology are so important to help process the late diagnosis… I would give up a lot of the other stuff for that," she said in an Instagram story.
Rusciano, who has ADHD, used last August to call for the condition to be included on the list of primary conditions supported by the National Disability Insurance Scheme.
