APS feedback to the Draft Australian Evidence-Based Clinical Practice Guideline For ADHD

The APS appreciates the opportunity to provide feedback on the Draft Australian Evidence-Based Clinical Practice Guideline For ADHD and commends the work of the Development Group in creating this important document. However, the APS is concerned the draft guideline may have negative implications for psychologists working with people with ADHD (including impacting our professional practice and issues related to indemnity), and lead to poorer psychosocial outcomes for consumers due to decreased psychological support resulting from insufficient information about appropriate treatment options. Overall, the APS believes the draft guideline:

• Appears to minimise the role of psychology in the assessment, diagnosis and treatment of ADHD.
• Fails to sufficiently define the broad range of psychological interventions available for people with ADHD.
• Focusses on specific outcome measures (e.g., reduction of ADHD symptoms) which fail to account for improved wellbeing across various contexts (e.g., psychological, social, educational and vocational).
• Simplifies assessment as a means to diagnose without recognising its importance for treatment planning, which is particularly relevant for the provision of psychological interventions.

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