How we assess, who oversees it, and where we draw the line
How Inner Help assesses adult ADHD, who oversees it, our safety exclusions, medication monitoring, complaints process and content review policy.
In brief. Inner Help assessments are led by GPs with specific training in adult ADHD, overseen by a psychiatrist medical director. Assessment follows a structured standard over two to three sessions. Assessment, diagnosis and prescribing are separate decisions. Some people are not suited to telehealth care and we say so up front. This page sets out the whole model, including how to complain.
The clinical model
Every Inner Help assessment is carried out by an AHPRA-registered general practitioner who has completed additional training in adult ADHD and works within our written protocol.
GP-led
Your assessing doctor is a GP. They take the history, run the structured interview, weigh the evidence and reach a clinical opinion.
Psychiatrist oversight
A psychiatrist medical director sets the protocol, supervises the doctors, reviews complex cases and audits a sample of files every quarter.
File review where a state requires it
Some states require psychiatrist involvement before a GP can diagnose or prescribe for adult ADHD. Where that applies, the medical director reviews the file before any decision is made.
Assessment, diagnosis and prescribing are separate decisions. An assessment may end without a diagnosis. A diagnosis may be reached without any prescription. Each step has its own criteria and its own record.
The assessment standard
ADHD cannot be diagnosed from a single questionnaire or a single conversation. Our standard requires the following.
Structured intake
Before your first session you complete a detailed intake covering current difficulties, childhood history, mental and physical health, medications and substances, and how symptoms affect work, study, relationships and daily life.
Informant questionnaire
Where possible, a parent, sibling, partner or long-term friend completes a questionnaire about your childhood and current functioning. If no informant is available, the doctor records why and weighs the other evidence with more care.
Two to three clinical sessions
Sessions are by video. The doctor uses a structured diagnostic interview, screens for conditions that can mimic or sit alongside ADHD, and takes time between sessions to review the whole picture.
DSM-5-TR criteria
Diagnosis is made against the DSM-5-TR criteria for ADHD, including symptom count, onset before age 12, presence in more than one setting and clear impact on functioning.
Guideline alignment
Our protocol is written to align with the Australian Evidence-Based Clinical Practice Guideline for ADHD published by the Australian ADHD Professionals Association (AADPA).
You receive a written outcome letter either way. If ADHD is diagnosed, the letter includes the basis for the diagnosis and the care plan. If it is not, the letter explains what the doctor found and what may help instead.
Exclusions and safety
Telehealth assessment and care is safe for many adults. It is not safe for everyone. We screen for the following at intake and again at each session.
Crisis or immediate risk
If you are at risk of harming yourself or someone else, we will pause the assessment and help you connect with emergency and crisis services. Call 000 in an emergency or Lifeline on 13 11 14 at any hour.
Active substance use
Current problematic use of alcohol or other drugs can change how symptoms present and how medication is used. Our doctor may recommend that this is addressed first, and will refer you to appropriate local services.
Severe unmanaged conditions
Conditions such as bipolar disorder, psychosis, an active eating disorder or significant cardiac disease need face-to-face specialist care before ADHD assessment or stimulant treatment can safely proceed.
Under 18
Inner Help assesses adults only. If you are under 18, your GP can refer you to a paediatrician or child and adolescent psychiatrist.
If one of these applies, the doctor will tell you clearly, explain why, and write to you and your GP with a referral to a more suitable service. If an assessment (once open) cannot safely continue, you are not charged for care you have not received; assessment terms will be published before it opens. See the refund policy.
Prescribing and state rules
Stimulant medications are controlled drugs. Each Australian state and territory has its own rules about who may prescribe them for adult ADHD, whether a psychiatrist must be involved, and whether a permit is needed. Our doctors prescribe only where the rules of your state allow, and the medical director reviews the file where a state requires it. In some states a GP cannot start stimulant treatment without a specialist. Where that applies to you, we tell you before you book.
Non-stimulant options are available and may be recommended where a stimulant is not suitable. No medication is prescribed at a first session.
Medication monitoring
If medication is part of your care plan, it comes with a monitoring schedule that you agree to before the first script.
- Before starting: blood pressure, heart rate, weight and a cardiac history. An ECG is arranged where history or examination indicates it.
- During dose adjustment: review every two to four weeks, with blood pressure and heart rate recorded at each review.
- Once stable: review at least every three months, with weight, blood pressure, sleep, mood and side effects checked each time.
- Ongoing: an annual review of whether treatment is still helping and still needed.
Readings can be taken at your GP, a pharmacy or with a validated home monitor. Missed monitoring may mean a script is delayed until it is done.
Your GP stays in the loop
With your consent, we write to your regular GP after the assessment, whenever medication starts or changes, and at each stable-phase review. Your GP receives the outcome letter, the care plan and the monitoring record. If you do not have a regular GP we will encourage you to find one, because shared care works better and it is required for some prescribing arrangements.
Incidents and complaints
If something goes wrong, we want to know. Tell us first if you can, and we will respond within five business days. If you would rather go directly to an external body, you can.
Tell Inner Help
Email hello@innerhelp.com or call 1800 841 890. Complaints about clinical care are reviewed by the medical director, not the treating doctor.
Notify AHPRA
Concerns about a registered practitioner's conduct, performance or health can be raised with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) at ahpra.gov.au or on 1300 419 495.
Contact your state health complaints body
Each state and territory has an independent health complaints commissioner. In Victoria this is the Health Complaints Commissioner; in NSW the Health Care Complaints Commission; in Queensland the Office of the Health Ombudsman; in WA, SA, Tasmania, the ACT and the NT the relevant Health and Community Services Complaints Commissioner or Ombudsman.
Clinical incidents are logged, reviewed by the medical director and reported to the board of Inner Help Pty Ltd. Serious incidents are reported to the relevant authority as required by law.
Privacy and data
Your clinical record is stored in Australia. Booking tools hold only your name, email and appointment time. Information is shared with your GP only with your consent, and with anyone else only where the law requires it. Full detail is in our privacy policy.
We do not publish testimonials or ratings about clinical care, because AHPRA advertising rules prohibit it. If you see a review of our clinical service elsewhere, we did not ask for it.
The medical director
our clinical lead
Psychiatrist and Medical Director, Inner Help
our clinical lead Responsible for the assessment protocol, supervision of the ADHD doctors, review of files where a state requires it, quarterly file audit, incident review and the content review policy below. AHPRA registration number and link to be displayed here.
Editorial and review policy
Health information on this site is written to be accurate, current and useful. Every clinical page carries the following.
- A named reviewer. Clinical pages are reviewed by an AHPRA-registered clinician whose name and registration appear on the page.
- Dates. The date of first publication and the date of the most recent review are shown.
- References. Claims are referenced to peer-reviewed research, the DSM-5-TR, the AADPA guideline or a named government source.
- A 90-day review cycle. Every clinical page is re-read at least every 90 days and updated if guidance has changed. Pages that fall out of cycle are flagged for review.
Content marked is awaiting clinical or legal sign-off and may change. If you spot an error, email hello@innerhelp.com.
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Last updated 2026-09-12.