Who can diagnose ADHD in Alberta?

Physicians, nurse practitioners and registered psychologists each hold the authority to diagnose ADHD in Alberta

Alberta regulates its health professions under the Health Professions Act, with each college setting the standards of practice for its members. Unlike Ontario, Alberta does not list communicating a diagnosis as a restricted activity; instead, diagnosis sits within the scope of practice of each profession whose standards and competencies include it. For ADHD, three professions qualify.

• Physicians, including family doctors and psychiatrists, are licensed by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta (CPSA). A family doctor can diagnose adult ADHD directly or refer to a psychiatrist; both are insured by the Alberta Health Care Insurance Plan.
• Nurse practitioners are registered by the College of Registered Nurses of Alberta (CRNA, formerly CARNA) on the nurse practitioner register. Alberta NPs diagnose, order tests and prescribe autonomously, and under the federal New Classes of Practitioners Regulations and CRNA's standards for controlled drugs and substances they can prescribe the stimulant medications used for ADHD once they have completed the required education.
• Psychologists are registered by the College of Alberta Psychologists (CAP) under the Psychologists Profession Regulation. CAP's standards of practice include assessment and diagnosis of psychological conditions within the member's declared competence. Psychologists assess and diagnose ADHD but do not prescribe, and CAP's public register lets you confirm registration and any practice conditions.

Whichever professional you see, ADHD is a clinical diagnosis made through a structured interview against DSM-5-TR criteria, evidence of childhood onset, rating scales, and a check for other explanations. No test, scan or questionnaire confirms it on its own, and a careful assessment can conclude that ADHD is not the explanation.

Alberta has no public adult ADHD clinic, so the insured route runs through primary care and psychiatry

Alberta Health Services runs child and adolescent mental health programs that assess ADHD in young people, but it does not operate a provincial adult ADHD service. For an adult the publicly insured route is a family physician or nurse practitioner who either assesses you or refers you to a psychiatrist. Primary Care Networks attach mental health clinicians to many practices, and those clinicians can gather history and administer rating scales, but the diagnosis itself is made by the physician or NP.

Alberta's Nurse Practitioner Primary Care Program, launched in 2024, funds NPs to run independent practices and take on their own patient panels, which has widened the insured NP route. Psychologists in private practice charge fees that AHCIP does not cover, though extended health plans often reimburse part. Alberta Health Services psychologists in hospital and community programs assess within those programs rather than on request.

Only physicians and nurse practitioners can prescribe, and stimulant prescriptions go through TPP Alberta

Alberta's prescription monitoring program is TPP Alberta, the Tracked Prescription Program administered by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta on behalf of the participating colleges. The stimulant medications used for ADHD are among the drugs that must be written on TPP secure prescription forms by a prescriber registered with the program. Physicians, nurse practitioners and dentists, among others, can register.

Nurse practitioners in Alberta need to meet CRNA's requirements for prescribing controlled drugs and substances and be registered with TPP before they can write these prescriptions. Pharmacists check the prescriber's registration before dispensing. The detail, including how an NP's authority is verified, is in Can a nurse practitioner prescribe ADHD medication in Alberta?.

A diagnosis from one professional is used by the others, with some limits

A psychologist's report cannot start medication on its own; it goes to a physician or nurse practitioner, who reviews it and decides on treatment. A nurse practitioner's or physician's diagnosis can go to your family doctor to support continuing care, to a school or employer for accommodations, and to a psychologist or therapist for non-medication support such as cognitive behavioural therapy or coaching.

The receiving professional usually wants to see the criteria used, the childhood evidence, the conditions ruled out, and the clinician's registration number. A family doctor is not obliged to take over prescribing after a private diagnosis, so ask in advance whether they will, and send the report ahead. If they decline, ongoing care can continue with the clinic that made the diagnosis. Can a family doctor continue medication after a private ADHD diagnosis? covers how that conversation usually goes.

What every route in Alberta has in common: DSM-5-TR criteria and a childhood history

CADDRA's Canadian ADHD Practice Guidelines were written by a multidisciplinary group and describe assessment and treatment rather than reserving diagnosis to one profession. An Alberta clinician following them will take a structured history, use validated rating scales, collect collateral information where possible, and consider other explanations before concluding.

1. Gather childhood evidence: report cards, a parent's recollections, or an early school assessment.
2. Note current medications and any diagnoses of anxiety, depression or sleep disorders, because the assessor needs to separate these from ADHD.
3. Choose a route based on what you need afterwards: medication (physician or NP), a psychometric report for school (psychologist), or both.
4. Check the professional's registration on the CPSA, CRNA or CAP public register before booking.

Finding Focus provides online ADHD assessment and treatment for adults in Alberta: after a short online intake, you have one consultation with a licensed Canadian clinician by video, with no referral needed, from $399. The assessment follows DSM-5-TR criteria and can conclude that ADHD is not the explanation. If you need help right now, call or text 9-8-8, Canada's Suicide Crisis Helpline, or call 911.