FAQ

To get the best out of your first appointment with the psychiatrist, please check if all your medications are listed in your referral. A referral would need to clearly specify a reason for your assessment, i.e., why do you wish to see a psychiatrist, current symptoms, and other medical history. It always helps to declare any past and present substance use and alcohol history. The psychiatrist can take that into account whilst putting together the treatment plan. If you have access to the referral, you can email your referral at [email protected], alternatively the GP can send it via HealthLink EDI greympsy.

Step 1: Upon receipt of the referral, we triage the referral for due diligence and requesting the named psychiatrist for an approval. We request other psychiatrists in our panel to review as well, to minimise the wait period.
It takes couple of weeks for the referral to get reviewed. Psychiatrists carry out this exercise in their personal time.

Step 2: Upon acceptance of the referral by the psychiatrist the admin staff will contact you via phone/SMS to offer an appointment. Referrals not getting accepted is purely attributed to the psychiatrists’ case load, their expertise, preferred case-mix, the complexity of your case and their overall availability during the week. We don’t take this lightly and hence we have a system in place for a 2^nd review by the clinical lead in the practice.

Step 3: Receipt of an email confirmation is the final step and a signal of appointment confirmation.

Step 4: Access is given to a patient portal which allows you to engage with the clinic in a secured environment. You will be requested to upload history/information via the portal, allowing the psychiatrist to review during your initial appointment.

If you need to reschedule, please email or call our reception team as soon as possible and we can organise another appointment.  If it is less than 24 hours before your appointment time, we charge a cancellation fee . Unfortunately, there is no rebate for a late cancellation or a missed appointment, and it is not covered by the DVA or Insurance Agencies.

Telehealth is just like any other appointment – the only difference is you are talking to your health care provider on screen. Connecting virtually with telehealth lets you talk to your health provider – by video or phone – from your local hospital, health clinic or even from home if you have good internet coverage and a suitable computer, tablet or phone. At Grey Matter Psychiatry, we are happy to offer virtual consultations in all areas of care.

If you wish to reschedule please email [email protected]

No fee applies if cancellation of appointment is communicated via the digital portal, prior to 3 working days from your appointment date.

Non-attendance on the day will incur the full consultation fee.

No fee applies if cancellation of Initial Appointment is communicated via the digital portal, prior to 5 working days from your appointment date.

Fees at Grey Matter Psychiatry is maintained at the lowest possible tier that enables us as a clinic to deliver the best possible experience for our clients. Our fees include an out-of-pocket amount and unfortunately, we are not able to offer bulk billing. You can avail bulk billing, if you explore seeing a psychiatrist in a public hospital or community health service. Please contact our reception if you would like more information about funds that you may want to keep aside for seeing a psychiatrist at Grey Matter Psychiatry.

Sometimes you may be requested to undertake neuropsychological testing or may have already seen a psychologist. It is a good start to the ‘process of screening’. The screening may help to also identify other potential conditions such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The Psychiatrist is medically qualified to assess and confirm the diagnoses through other Psychiatric tests and synthesising other medical and non-medical aspects, prior to prescribing medication.

It is not mandated to see a psychologist to get assessed by a psychiatrist.

Medications is not necessarily the only option; it is dependent on every individual case. What is crucial, is to first get an accurate diagnosis and then weigh in all the options in relation to your life and needs.  There is non-pharmacological therapy that are run by clinical psychologists who have special interests in ADHD and have some form of formal training in the field. They will  work with you to exploring methods to cope with the dysfunction caused by ADHD symptoms.

Your psychiatrist will be happy to discuss and guide you through all the options before putting together a treatment plan, that works for you.  Adequate time is needed to derive meaningful outcome whilst having these conversations with your psychiatrist.  

Yes, once your psychiatrist has confirmed the diagnosis of ADHD and is agreeable with the use of stimulants to treat this, permission is sought by completing an application for the stimulant panel.

The Department of Health require this because:

• Using stimulants poses some risks of psychosis but combining stimulants with other psychoactive substances (particularly marijuana) can increase the overall risk of psychosis.
• A previous history of psychosis influences a patient to having a higher risk of psychosis when prescribed a stimulant (e.g., it may induce a psychotic episode)

The psychiatrist must record a clean supervised Urine Drug Screen test, before prescribing medication. This is not just those with a history of drug use/misuse.

The initial appointment covers a full history taking and reviewing your shared information and eliciting key pointers from a psychiatric assessment point of view. In includes previous treatments trialled, any other explanations for your symptoms, any medical conditions you may have, and most importantly the intricate details of your life- though the psychiatric lens. Some psychiatrists may confirm the ADHD diagnosis on your initial appointment, wherein a diagnosis has already been done by another psychiatrist, provided all information is deemed satisfactory.

However, it is also not unusual for this process to take another 1-2 follow ups (up to 30 minutes in duration) to mitigate other conditions that may get picked up during the consult, needing a different treatment approach and medication.
It is highly unlikely for the psychiatrist to prescribe medication for ADHD in the initial appointment.
 
Psychiatrists adhere to protocols set by the WA Health Department Medicines and Poisons, before prescribing schedule 8 stimulant medication.