What is CADDAC and how does it help people with ADHD in Ontario?

CADDAC, the Centre for ADHD Awareness, Canada, is a national charity that offers awareness, education, and advocacy for people affected by ADHD and their families. It is not an Ontario ministry program, not a hospital clinic, and it does not diagnose ADHD or write prescriptions; those steps still happen inside provincial health care. People living in Ontario can use CADDAC because its resources are offered across Canada, often online, including parenting, adult, and youth education, peer-facilitated support groups, group coaching, webinars, conferences, and an ADHD Resource Navigator who helps people identify local ADHD and mental health resources. CADDAC describes its mission as improving the lives of Canadians affected by ADHD through awareness, education, and advocacy. If your psychiatrist or family doctor has mainly prescribed medication, CADDAC can still be useful for education and navigation, but it does not replace a regulated clinician. Rules, coverage and referral pathways vary by province and can change; confirm the current position with the relevant institution or provincial program. References: https://www.ontario.ca/page/what-ohip-covers https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/drugs-medication/prescription-stimulants.html https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng87/chapter/recommendations

This is only my own experience in Ontario, not advice for anyone else. After my family doctor mainly managed pills, I used CADDAC’s website to find a virtual adult support group and later emailed their Resource Navigator. They did not diagnose me or book a psychiatrist. They pointed me to education materials and community resources in my area. The wait for public psychiatry was still long. I am sharing this as a personal story, not as a rule that CADDAC will do the same for every patient.