As a woman who was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in adulthood, I couldn’t have imagined the relief I felt when I found out all my ‘quirks’ had a reason for being there.

I was humbled and surprised to learn that constantly having to fidget with what’s in front of me was not an urge neurotypical people have to fight against every day, nor the constant stream of thoughts in my head narrating every minute detail. You mean my inability to concentrate on tasks, and difficulty to stay organised, wasn’t a common chore people faced?

Neurodiversity is still something of a taboo topic. But it’s something that affects a lot of Australians. 

“There are an estimated 1.5 million Australians with ADHD, many of whom are dealing with significant costs related to both diagnosis and treatment,” said CWA of NSW President Joy Beames.

There is already difficulty when it comes to diagnosis and treatment of ADHD, with lots of misdiagnosis especially when it comes to young girls. But with the added challenge of being situated in regional Australia? Some could relate it to pulling teeth. 

I personally was diagnosed officially one year ago today. I am still on a waitlist to get further help and I am still in a virtual line for an appointment to start treatment. But doctors in regional NSW say that this is typical.

This year’s annual CWA of NSW awareness week is centred around neurodiversity and challenges related to diagnosis and treatment in regional areas. With an increase in the number of adults being diagnosed with ADHD and the subsequent impact on diagnosis and treatment services and support, the CWA of NSW wants to highlight the need for urgent changes to the current system.

The 2023 campaign will run from September 3-9, and will focus on neurodiversity, 

which includes ADHD, autism, dyslexia, and Tourette syndrome. The campaign has a particular emphasis on the growing number of adult women who are being diagnosed with ADHD and the challenges they face around diagnosis, and accessing suitable and affordable treatment options – especially in remote, rural and regional NSW.   

“The association sees that increased awareness and understanding of these conditions is vital in shaping community perception, increasing funding into research, and encouraging strategies to make diagnosis faster and more accessible, whilst reducing the financial burden,” said Mrs Beames.

The issue was raised at the CWA of NSW’s annual State Conference in Bathurst in May, when a motion was supported asking “governments to investigate ways to reduce the costs of diagnosing and treating adult ADHD”, with a number of branch members relating their own experiences of recent diagnosis and the challenges they had encountered. 

Following this, NSW CWA made a submission to a federal senate inquiry into the “barriers to consistent, timely and best practice assessment of ADHD and support services for people with ADHD”, which is due to report this month.

This year, the CWA of NSW is partnering with the national ADHD Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation committed to providing help and support to people living with or supporting someone with ADHD, and ultimately “working to improve the lives of people with ADHD”.

A director of the ADHD Foundation Christopher Ouizeman said ADHD could have a lifelong effect, significantly impacting a person’s ability to achieve educational aspirations, workplace satisfaction, social and relationship happiness. 

From my own experience, this statement couldn’t ring truer. Hours staring at blank pages trying to start assignments, over-analysing intricate details of conversations had with loved ones, all could be quietened with the right treatment and support.

Mr Ouizeman said the economic impact of ineffective recognition and treatment for those with ADHD was estimated at more than $20 billion, related to lower productivity, health, education, and justice costs because of the reduced quality of life for the individual. The “supply and demand equation” related to an ADHD diagnosis was completely unbalanced currently, Mr Ouizeman said, with demand exceeding supply “by a factor of 10”.

Dympna Brbich, chairman of the ADHD Foundation said the foundation’s national ADHD Helpline in Australia indicated there were more adults being diagnosed and that there is a spike in the demand for its services from the 30- to 50-year-olds, many of whom were women who had been overlooked in their younger years.

“ADHD is not currently treated in the public system and private psychiatrists are overloaded and many have closed their books to new patients. Therefore, this situation is putting increased pressure on people struggling to obtain an assessment and/or diagnosis in the first place. At the same time, of the small cohort of psychiatrists who are trained in this field, an increasing number have their books closed, are retired or reaching that stage, leaving many of those who are diagnosed without a continuing practitioner who can prescribe their medication," she said.

President Mrs Beames said the CWA was holding a webinar during Awareness Week on the issue, hearing from advocates and women who had only been recently diagnosed with ADHD, and the challenges they faced being diagnosed as an adult.

“This is something people have for their whole life, and as a nation we have to get better at helping those with neurodiverse conditions, because currently too many people are suffering from extensive delays and exorbitant costs that only increases the strain on their mental and physical health. This is particularly so in rural and regional NSW where health services are already under pressure,” she said.

 “This Awareness Week we want to highlight these issues and urge governments at all levels to look to new and improved ways of addressing, and supporting those with, neurodiverse conditions. We hope the current Senate inquiry into the issue will also help progress these much-needed changes. In addition, we want to boost awareness of neurodiversity, and ADHD, and through greater awareness, reshape perceptions and build a greater acceptance of the potential differences in people with a neurodiverse condition.”