Consulting a psychiatrist will no longer be required to get diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, with rural patients first in line to benefit.
NSW has expanded its push to give general practitioners more power to manage ADHD by enrolling almost 600 doctors in a special training course to enable them to diagnose the condition.
GPs have been able to dispense repeat prescriptions for ADHD medication in the state since September, with more than 5000 patients receiving scripts.
But the state government hopes expanding training will allow people to get diagnosed sooner, saving hundreds of dollars in private psychiatrist appointments.
"We recognise that those general practitioners ... are very well placed to provide that care for a chronic but manageable condition," Mental Health Minister Rose Jackson told reporters on Wednesday.
"This is a game-changing intervention for people living with ADHD, who can now access the treatment that they need affordably and in a timely way."
More than one million Australians - or about one in every 20 people - are living with the condition.
The bolstered training will begin with doctors in rural and regional areas in acknowledgement that patients in less populated regions face even greater struggles in securing specialist appointments.
A GP's long-standing relationship with a patient puts them in a good position to assess all the factors needed for a diagnosis, a spokesman for the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners said.
"(A diagnosis) involves looking at the whole of the person, which includes how they are at school, at home and work, or education," Dr Chris Timms said.
"The local GP is well placed to take that into account, they see them from birth all the way through their life."
The ADHD diagnosis training for doctors in NSW mirrors similar initiatives around the country.
From Wednesday, trained doctors in the ACT will also be allowed to issue repeat prescriptions for ADHD medication without needing extra approval.
Queensland has allowed its doctors to diagnose and treat the condition for people of all ages since December.
Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan kicked off a pilot program earlier in February with 150 doctors expected to receive training.
Western Australia and South Australia are rolling out programs for trained GPs, while the Tasmanian Liberal government has flagged similar changes.
