The Senate inquiry into assessment and support services for people with ADHD (attention deficit hyperactive disorder) has handed down its report.
It found cost, location, cultural and gendered barriers to access and called for national consistency in diagnosis and treatment to improve the lives of those with the condition.
Available to comment:
Professor Mark Bellgrove, Deputy Head of School (Research), Monash University School of Psychological Sciences and Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health; Director and Lead, Australian Evidence-Based Clinical Practice Guideline for ADHD, Australian ADHD Professionals Association (AADPA)
Contact details: +61, 0430 421 234 or mark.bellgrove@monash.edu
Read more of Professor Belgrove’s commentary at Monash Lens
- What ADHD is
- ADHD diagnosis
- Latest treatment and guidelines
- Barriers to effective treatment
The following can be attributed to Professor Bellgrove:
“The Senate Inquiry into Assessment and Support Services for People with ADHD is a landmark moment where the voices of both Australians with a lived experience and professionals involved in care, have been heard. The 15 recommendations are appropriate, practical and formulated with due consideration to both the evidence and the needs of consumers.
“As a Director of the Australian ADHD Professionals Association (AADPA), and Lead for the development of Australia's ADHD Clinical Practice Guideline, I am delighted that our call for both a National Framework for ADHD (recommendation #1) and funding for the implementation of the ADHD Clinical Practice Guideline (recommendation #13) are put forward as recommendations for the Australian Government to consider.
“I am also very pleased to see recommendations (#8) encouraging neurodiversity-affirming campaigns to actively shift social attitudes and reduce stigma.”
Professor Bellgrove was the AADPA lead in the development of Australia's first NHMRC-approved Clinical Practice Guideline for ADHD and gave evidence at the Senate inquiry. The feasibility of implementation of the Guideline was listed within the terms of reference of the Senate inquiry and Recommendation 13 in the released report recommends that the Government consider investing in its implementation.
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