The Forums › Forums › Ask The Community › full adult ADD assessment covered by OHIP? › Re: full adult ADD assessment covered by OHIP?
Unfortunately, ADHD testing falls into the realm of psychology, which is NOT covered by OHIP.
It’s very perverse that the best treatment for mental health issues is a combination of medication and counselling/coaching. However, OHIP only covers psychiatrists (who can only prescribe meds), not psychologists (who can only give counselling/coaching).
Initial assessments are very expensive, because they involve several hours of intensive testing. However, if you previously received a detailed psychological assessment, and have enough supporting documentation to support the diagnosis of ADHD, the clinic might waive the initial intensive assessment, and do a less intensive one.
I don’t think that an hour and a half talking to a psychiatrist who then says, “You might have it. Let me know if you want me to prescribe meds for you,” would be sufficient to confirm a diagnosis. You’re quite right to question his conclusion.
A full diagnosis at an ADHD specialist is well worth the cost, because it will determine whether you have ADHD and/or something else. After all, it’s no sense treating ADHD if you don’t have it. And if you have something else, you’ll know that you need to get that “something else” treated.
If you have private health insurance, read your policy carefully. It might cover psychological testing & treatment.
In the meantime, go to the “Tools” section here. In it, are some tests which can give you a better idea of whether or not you may have ADHD. These tests are good first steps, and you can print them out and take them to a specialist, for further investigation.
Good luck!
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