Adult ADHD Care

Adult ADHD Diagnosis and Management

What is ADHD?

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common psychiatric conditions in children and teens. Most of the time, ADHD symptoms in childhood continue into adulthood, although some people don’t develop ADHD until their adult years. It is estimated that about 4-6% of people in Canada have ADHD (CADDAC, 2024). Unfortunately, ADHD isn’t always diagnosed appropriately and may be mistaken for another condition. This is why it is important to be evaluated by a healthcare provider who specializes in ADHD.

What are the causes of ADHD?

The causes and risk factors for ADHD are not clear, but genetics are suspected to play an important role. As such, if someone has an immediate family member with ADHD (like a parent or sibling), that person may be affected as well.

What are the symptoms of ADHD?

Typical symptoms of ADHD include difficulty paying attention, impulsiveness, and restlessness. These symptoms may affect the ability to thrive in school and work. They may also affect one’s ability to maintain healthy relationships with others. As well, people with ADHD may have difficulty with:

focusing on a task – especially for long periods of time,
organizing activities
remembering details
following through with tasks
completing projects
meeting deadlines
managing time
maintaining relationships
maintaining a job
inability to manage uncomfortable emotions
abiding by traffic laws, resulting in driving errors, speeding, and traffic tickets.

Diagnosing ADHD

Getting assessed for ADHD includes a thorough history of your symptoms using self-reported questionnaires and an interview with a trained professional, which may be a medical doctor, a psychologist, or a nurse practitioner. An important part of diagnosing ADHD is assessing for other conditions that can mimic or worsen symptoms of ADHD. This may include other physical health conditions (for example, thyroid problems) or mental health conditions (for example, anxiety and depression). Diagnosing ADHD isn’t always straight-forward, but a thorough evaluation is necessary for you to get the best outcomes.

At Direct Health Solutions, our ADHD assessments and completed by nurse practitioners. They are trained medical professionals who can complete physical and mental health assessments, diagnose conditions, order and interpret lab work, and prescribe treatments (including medications).

Treatment for ADHD

There is more to ADHD management than medications. Our ADHD specialists offer a variety of strategies to manage your symptoms. This may include education, coaching, counselling, and prescription medications (carefully titrated to suit you). If you have a primary care provider (family physician or nurse practitioner), we can send them a letter containing treatment recommendations. If you don’t have a primary care provider, we may be able to provide ongoing care and prescription renewals/management.

Regardless of who is managing your ongoing care, you should have a healthcare provider continue to assess your response to the treatment plan so they can adjust the plan accordingly. There is no “cookie-cutter” plan that works for everyone. Every person benefits from an individualized approach to manage their ADHD and overall well-being.

If you’d like to find out more information about our services, contact our office today.

Our Adult ADHD Care Services

ADHD Assessment and Diagnosis

Booking an ADHD assessment includes:

An initial 50-minute appointment includes the assessment interview, medical history review, and some lab tests (if necessary).
The second 50-minute appointment to review the specialist’s diagnostic impression and recommendations.
letter of diagnosis (or lack thereof) and recommended treatment plan.

$600 flat rate

Note that the diagnosis of ADHD is not guaranteed. If the specialist identifies another concern, she will discuss this with you during the second appointment.

We are not able to provide assessments for people under the care of a psychiatrist or are being treated for bipolar disorder or a psychotic disorder. A psychiatrist may be more suitable in his scenario.

ADHD Management and Treatment Planning

If you have previously been diagnosed with ADHD and need further assessment and/or treatment planning, you may schedule an appointment with our ADHD specialist. Please provide documentation of your diagnosis and previous/current treatments.

$205 per hour

Virtual or Phone Follow-Ups

Brief phone or virtual consultation with our ADHD specialist to review the treatment plan and medications.

$75 per 20 minutes

4.9

128 Google Reviews

NP Carrie Hope's service was exceptionally professional and meticulous. She was incredibly respectful and caring towards her patients, providing the most detailed answers to any inquiries from patients' families. We are so grateful that my mother-in-law received such outstanding home-visit diagnosis and service during her terminal illness. Carrie gave us the best medical and nursing advice. Thank you, Carrie! We also thank coordinator Judy for always being quick to help arrange scheduling. This organization is trustworthy, and we are so fortunate to have received such excellent service!

Ling Zhang

2 weeks ago

Had the best experience you could possibly have with any healthcare provider/service! Carrie Hope and the team at Direct Health Solutions have made a very stressful situation the easiest it could have been, and all in the comfort of my home. The compassion I felt with a wealth of knowledge and lack of judgement from Carrie, really helped put me at ease. She walked me through the process step by step, while answering all my questions and concerns the entire time. Going above and beyond expectations of any other medical professional I’ve encountered. I will be using their services first from now on, would highly recommend!

Genny Ridge

3 weeks ago

Amazing experience with Carrie and Jessica of Direct Health. I have been plagued with sudden joint inflammations for the last 8 months that were both painful and mobility limiting. I have been seeing specialists about this, and they would only look at one joint at a time rather than look at the entire picture to try to understand what was happening with me. Carrie took the time with me to go through my health history, organized and analyzed the necessary bloodwork to fill in the gaps, organized a neck x-ray to get further understanding (which yielded information that I wasn't aware of and which could contribute at least partially to my problems), and finally took the time to discuss all the findings with me, including that they mean to me moving forward. Essentially I was left with the impression that I now had a quarterback acting on my behalf to find solutions, arrange to see specialists, etc. Highly recommend this team to anyone who wants excellent care for their health concerns.

Jim Vance

a month ago

Jessica got us through a very difficult time after my husband fell and was unable to go out to see our family doctor. We loved that she came to the house, got things done, had suggestions for further treatment and gave us enough time to discuss our concerns. She will continue to be my husband’s practitioner.

Wanda Mae

a month ago

I am so thankful for this service. They discovered a life threatening heart arrhythmia during an in-home visit with my husband who was very ill with a viral infection. Direct health provided quick comprehensive and proactive treatment and care. Thank you!