If you’re a primary healthcare physician practising in Australia, you will no doubt have encountered many myths and misconceptions about ADHD. In such an environment, it is only natural to feel unsure about what you should or should not be doing to offer the best care possible to your patients. Particularly when the primary pharmacological treatments for this condition are so heavily regulated, it is unsurprising that so many General Practitioners and other clinicians working with the condition can feel intimidated and concerned about making the ‘wrong’ move.

At the completion of unit 1, students will feel confident to suspect the diagnosis of ADHD in a variety of clinical presentations. Students will have the tools at their disposal to set up a therapeutic relationship with their patients where the diagnosis is possible, they will be able to screen them medically in terms of coexistent or comorbid conditions & general health assessments, they will be able to undertake appropriate investigations for the above conditions and also make sure that prescribing for ADHD specific medications is appropriate and safe. They will be confident of how to administer and use validated questionnaires and assessment tools to arrive at a doctor patient collaboration of nominated goals for therapeutic outcomes

The main outcome from doing unit one is to promote a sense
of confidence and expertise in the area

• unit learning objectives,
• Modules in Unit 1
  • Module 1: What is ADHD and how do we diagnose it
    • Foundational knowledge about ADHD for clinicians. Addresses common
      myths and misconceptions, introduces underlying
      neurochemistry/neuroanatomy and outlines the diagnostic pathway
  • Module 2: The public and individual Health Implications of Untreated
    Adult ADHD
    • A strong body of evidence will be produced to support and validate
      clinicians in their assessment, treatment and management of the
      disorder
  • Module 3: Clinical Assessment in Adult ADHD
    • Key indicators and strategies for identifying undiagnosed ADHD
      including clear structures for streamlining the diagnostic process
  • Module 4: ADHD specific questionnaires & how to use them
    • Clinical consulting tips for administering the best-practice ADHD
      assessment tools
• Unit specific testimonials

This Unit will cover:

Neurobiology and Neurochemistry of ADHD

• The true extent of the vast Public-Health Implications of ADHD
• A look at the many ways ADHD is presenting in your consulting room, every day of the week, in a variety of unexpected presentations (which you probably won’t be recognising)
• How to notice it, what it looks like, and how it affects your patients (and how identifying it will help you secure clinically significant outcomes)

You will also learn:

Comprehensive discussion regarding producing high outcomes with:

• ADHD-Focussed history taking
• Physical examination
•  Investigations appropriate to age and comorbidities
• Detailed understanding of the diagnostic and screening questionnaires that are used in ADHD
• PLUS experience derived consulting skills education regarding HOW to conduct the above in order to maximise how each tool/technique/process contributes to securing greater outcomes (by helping you to fully understand the complexity of the patients journey).

Modules covered in Unit 1:

1. What is ADHD and how is it diagnosed?
2. The public and individual health implications of untreated Adult ADHD
3. Clinical assessment in Adult ADHD
4. ADHD specific questionnaires and how to use them