The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) has published a public comment draft Clinical Practice Points (CPPs) on Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in children and adolescents.

 

The draft ADHD CPPs provide practical guidance for health professionals on the diagnosis, assessment and appropriate management of clinically significant symptoms of inattention, impulsiveness and hyperactivity.

 

“The CPPs have been developed by experts in the area to ensure that clinicians have reliable information to support their management of children and adolescents with the symptoms of ADHD,” Professor Warwick Anderson, NHMRC Chief Executive Officer said.

 

“It’s important that families across Australia are confident that their clinicians have the information they need to appropriately review a broad range of signs and symptoms, to limit the inappropriate diagnosis of ADHD.

 

The CPPs have been prepared by an expert working group chaired by Professor Bruce Tonge, a child and adolescent psychiatrist and Head of Discipline of Psychiatry at Monash University in Melbourne.  Other members of the working group have expertise in psychiatry, clinical psychology, neuro-psychology, paediatric health, family intervention, Indigenous mental health and general practice. This group also included a member who has had personal and family experience with ADHD.

 

The CPPs are the consensus view of the expert working group on what constitutes good practice. They complement broader evidence-based guidance and can be used in conjunction with existing policies.

 

The status of draft clinical guidelines on ADHD has been uncertain for too long because of conflict of interest allegations against a leading American researcher in the treatment of ADHD. The development of these CPPs ensures that people affected by ADHD have access to up-to-date, expert advice about ADHD that they can rely on.

 

Public consultation on the ADHD Clinical Practice Points is open to Monday 28 November.  The document and information on how to make a submission can be found at http://consultations.nhmrc.gov.au.