ADHD assessment and diagnosis in Sydney
Specialist support for the link between ADHD, eating behaviour, and weight
ADHD affects far more than focus. In adults, it shapes how you eat, manage routines, respond to stress, and why standard weight-management advice often doesn't work.
When we opened our clinic in 2020, we had already seen the connection between ADHD, weight challenges, and disordered eating.
Our team at Noi Clinic in Crows Nest offers expertise to address all three. Our goal was simple: to provide specialist ADHD assessment, diagnosis, and wraparound care for ADHD and weight under one roof.
Available in clinic at Crows Nest, Sydney — and via telehealth, Australia-wide.
Does any of this sound familiar? → ADHD symptoms and how they show up around food and eating
“I forget to eat for hours, then eat everything in sight”
“I eat when I'm bored, even when I'm not hungry”
“I make impulsive food choices I didn't plan on”
“I eat to manage stress, frustration, or low mood”
“I struggle to keep any kind of eating routine”
“I eat very little during the day, then a lot at night”
“I go all-in on diets, then abandon them completely”
“I crave very specific textures — crunchy, salty, sweet”
“I eat fast and only notice I'm full much later”
“Standard diet advice never seems to work for me”
If any of these resonate, ADHD may be a factor worth properly exploring.
You may benefit from psychology support if you…
Persistent difficulty with focus, attention, or staying on task
Impulsivity — acting or speaking before thinking things through
Chronic disorganisation or poor time management
Difficulty starting or completing tasks despite good intentions
Emotional dysregulation or difficulty recovering from stress
A history of childhood ADHD that was never reassessed in adulthood
Ongoing struggles with eating, weight, or health habits that never seem to improve despite effort
Weight management challenges that feel driven by impulsivity, inconsistency, or emotional eating
Our ADHD assessment process
A diagnosis of ADHD should never be made on the basis of a single questionnaire or a brief appointment. In accordance with Australian and international clinical guidelines, our assessment is a structured, multi-step process that gathers information from multiple sources over time, giving you a diagnosis you can trust and a report you can use.
Assessment is conducted by Lareena Brown, clinical psychologist and ANZAED Credentialed Eating Disorder Clinician, who has undertaken specialist additional training in the assessment and management of ADHD, with a particular focus on the relationship between neurodiversity, eating and weight.
Step 1 — Free initial screening
You complete a validated screening questionnaire. The BAARS (Barkley Adult ADHD Rating Scale) is one of the most widely used validated screening tools for adult ADHD and is sensitive to the symptom profile commonly seen in adults, including women with previously undiagnosed ADHD.
We use this tool to determine whether further assessment is appropriate. This step is free of charge and will give you a clearer idea of whether to proceed.
Step 2 — Self-report and other-report questionnaire battery
A structured set of validated questionnaires for you to complete, plus at least one person who knows you well, ideally someone who can speak to symptoms you experienced during childhood.
Step 3 — Two-hour diagnostic interview
A comprehensive face-to-face or telehealth diagnostic interview with Lareena. This covers your developmental history, childhood and adult symptoms, current functional impairment, and a careful consideration of other possible explanations for your presentation, including anxiety, depression, trauma, sleep disorders, and hormonal factors. This thoroughness is what distinguishes a proper clinical assessment from a checklist.
Step 4 — Comprehensive written report
A full written diagnostic report including your diagnosis (or differential diagnosis), clinical reasoning, functional impact, and specific recommendations for treatment, support, and next steps. This report is yours to keep and use, including as the basis for a psychiatry appointment to discuss medication, without the need for a separate lengthy assessment.
Step 5 — Feedback and discussion session
A dedicated appointment to walk through your results, discuss your diagnosis in plain language, answer your questions, and agree on a plan for next steps — whether that involves medication, psychological support, lifestyle strategies, or a combination.
Payment is made at each relevant stage of the process, not upfront in full.
Assessment fees and Medicare rebates
Free
Initial screening questionnaire
$100
Self-report and other-report questionnaires
$520
$520 + GST
$260
Two-hour diagnostic interview
Comprehensive written report
Feedback and discussion session
Medicare rebates: Medicare does not currently provide a rebate for ADHD assessment appointments. However, if you have a Mental Health Care Plan (MHCP) from your GP, you are eligible for a Medicare rebate for the feedback and discussion session.
Private health insurance: Some private health insurance policies with psychology extras cover may contribute to the cost of assessment sessions. We recommend checking directly with your fund before booking.
After your diagnosis
Receiving an ADHD diagnosis is often the beginning of understanding long-standing patterns, not the end of the process.
For many adults, medication can be an effective and important part of treatment. In NSW, however, initiating stimulant medication for adult ADHD requires coordination with a psychiatrist.
At Noi Clinic, Dr Rosie Atkinson works collaboratively with a psychiatrist to support appropriate patients through this process, including:
Medication selection
Dose titration and adjustment
Timing and duration of action
Ongoing monitoring and review
Integration with weight and metabolic health goals
You are not left to navigate the psychiatry system alone. Care is coordinated within the clinic through communication among your treating practitioners.
ADHD medication and weight management
For patients managing both ADHD and weight concerns, medication can influence appetite regulation, eating behaviour, energy, and reward-seeking patterns
Rather than treating these as unrelated issues, Dr Rosie considers your full clinical picture, including ADHD, metabolic health, eating behaviour, and existing medications to ensure treatment is genuinely integrated.
Coordinated care across the whole team
A diagnosis and medication are important, but for most people with ADHD, they are most effective when combined with targeted psychological and behavioural support.
Lareena provides individual therapy specifically addressing:
Habit and routine building designed around how ADHD actually affects your day, not generic productivity advice that assumes a neurotypical brain
Emotional and impulsive eating
Executive functioning challenges around meal planning and food preparation
Motivation, consistency, and follow-through
Self-criticism and shame related to years of struggling
Sustainable behaviour change strategies designed for neurodivergent adults
Where appropriate, Lareena also works closely with Caroline Shannon (dietitian) and Dr Rosie Atkinson so that nutritional, medical, and psychological care remain aligned and coordinated.
What patients commonly notice after ADHD assessment and treatment
With accurate diagnosis and integrated treatment, patients commonly report:
Greater clarity about why eating and health habits have felt difficult
Reduced impulsive or emotional eating
Improved consistency with routines and meal planning
Better response to weight management strategies
Reduced shame and self-criticism
Improved focus, energy, and daily functioning
Relief in finally understanding the underlying pattern
Individual outcomes vary and depend on many clinical, behavioural, and lifestyle factors. Realistic expectations will always be discussed throughout your care.
Ready to understand how ADHD may be affecting your health and weight?
Begin with a free screening questionnaire, or book directly with Lareena to discuss whether a full assessment is the right next step for you.
No referral required. Medicare rebates apply to the feedback session with a Mental Health Care Plan. Private health insurance extras may apply — check with your fund.
COMMON QUESTIONS
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ADHD affects impulse control, emotional regulation, habit formation, and reward-seeking — all of which directly shape eating behaviour. Adults with ADHD are significantly more likely to experience impulsive eating, binge eating, and difficulty sustaining healthy habits over time. These are neurobiological patterns, not character flaws, and treating ADHD is often the missing piece for people who have struggled with weight despite real effort.
Lareena Brown and Holly Rice of Noi Clinic are clinical psychologists registered with AHPRA.
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A comprehensive psychological assessment by Lareena provides a thorough, multi-source diagnosis based on national and international guidelines, including careful consideration of other conditions that can present similarly to ADHD.
The detailed written report can be used directly with a psychiatrist as the basis for a medication discussion, saving you the time and cost of a separate, lengthy psychiatric assessment. You also benefit from Lareena's specialist expertise in managing ADHD, eating, and weight, meaning assessment and behavioural support are connected from the start.
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In NSW, GPs have regulatory restrictions on independently initiating stimulant medication for adult ADHD. At Noi Clinic, Dr Rosie Atkinson works collaboratively with a psychiatrist to navigate this pathway for appropriate patients, coordinating medication type, dosing, timing and ongoing review as part of your integrated care. You do not need to find a psychiatrist independently. Dr Rosie manages this coordination on your behalf.
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Yes. The diagnostic interview and feedback session are both available via telehealth for patients who cannot attend in person. The questionnaire stages are completed online. Please contact our team to discuss telehealth options when booking.
Medicare and private health insurance rebates cannot be claimed for the same session, so your psychologist or our reception team can help you work out which option is most beneficial for your circumstances.
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Not at all, and you are far from alone. ADHD is significantly underdiagnosed in women and girls, partly because it often presents differently than the stereotypical picture, and partly because many women develop effective coping strategies that mask the underlying pattern for years or decades. Perimenopause frequently causes a significant deterioration in previously managed ADHD symptoms, which is often when women first seek assessment. There is no age at which an accurate diagnosis stops being valuable, and for many women, a late diagnosis is genuinely life-changing.