In this blog post, Valant discusses the ICD-10 code for anxiety. The ICD-10 code for unspecified anxiety disorder is F41.1, a direct translation from the ICD-9 code 300.00.
It is important to note, however, that there are a number of anxiety disorders indexed in ICD-10. The ICD-10 code for generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), for example, is F41.1, though coded as 300.00 along with unspecified anxiety disorder in ICD-9. ICD-10 diagnostic codes enable clinicians to submit more specific and accurate diagnoses in charts.
Check out the latest 2022 ICD-10 updates here.
Symptom Criteria for Unspecified Anxiety Disorder
Before a clinician can assign ICD-10 code F41.9, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders requires patients to meet at least three of the following six criteria:
- Feeling easily fatigued
- Feelings of restlessness or being on edge
- Irritability
- Mind goes blank or has difficulty concentrating
- Muscle tension
- Sleep disturbances
Unspecified anxiety disorder produces fear that makes it difficult for the patient to think clearly, get a restful night’s sleep, or function in at least some capacities of everyday life. While the exact cause of unspecified anxiety disorder remains unknown, the following are among some of the most common reasons people develop clinical anxiety:
- Chemical imbalance in the brain
- Drug or alcohol abuse, including prescription drugs
- Family history of unspecified anxiety disorder
- Ongoing stress
- Previous or current trauma
Other New ICD-10 Codes for Anxiety Disorders
The most recent ICD-10 changes, which went into effect on October 1, 2020, also includes these updates to various anxiety diagnoses:
- ICD-9 code 300.00 for unspecified anxiety disorder is now F41.9 for unspecified anxiety disorder, F41.1 for generalized anxiety disorder, and F41.8 for other specified anxiety disorders.
- Code 300.01 for panic disorder without agoraphobia is now F41.0 for panic disorder without agoraphobia (episodic paroxysmal anxiety).
- Code 300.02 for generalized anxiety disorder is now F41.1 with the same description.
- Code 300.21 for agoraphobia with panic disorder is now F32.1 with the same description.
Want to learn more about ICD-10 codes? Check out our information on other specific codes, such as ICD-10 Codes for Depression – F32.0–F33.3, ICD-10 Code for Altered Mental Status, Unspecified – R41.82, and ICD-10 Code for Suicidal Ideation – R45.851.
ICD-10 Coding with the Valant Electronic Health Record
Valant is an EHR software company composed of industry experts who understand how challenging it can be to keep up with ever-changing coding requirements. To support customers during their transition from ICD-9, for example, Valant used the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ General Equivalence Mapping (GEMs) to associate ICD-9 codes with ICD-10 codes within our application. To learn more about our EHR system and the strides we take to streamline our clinicians’ operations, request a demo from Valant today.
