The top 20 mental health ICD-10 codes reveal mental health trends

To gain meaningful insight into U.S. health trends, SimplePractice analyzed billing data from over 225,000 U.S.-based clinicians who use SimplePractice’s HIPAA-compliant electronic EHR for therapists.

This comprehensive analysis identified the 20 most common ICD-10 codes used by mental health clinicians when submitting health insurance claims.

This list of the most common mental health ICD codes (aka International Classification of Disease codes) offers a window into the most common mental health diagnoses across America.

Understanding ICD codes—the universal language of diagnosis

The International Classification of Diseases (ICD) coding system, developed by the World Health Organization (WHO), serves as the global standard for reporting and categorizing health conditions.

First released in 1994, the ICD-10 provides a standardized diagnostic framework that enables healthcare professionals worldwide to:

• Document causes of illness and mortality with precision
• Track health trends across diverse populations and geographic regions
• Communicate diagnoses consistently when submitting insurance claims
• Facilitate accurate data collection for research and public health initiatives

America’s most common mental health diagnoses

Our analysis reveals that generalized anxiety disorder (F41.1) remains the most frequently billed mental health diagnosis in America—a position it has maintained consistently since 2017. This data point reflects the continuing prevalence of anxiety disorders in the U.S. population.

Notable trends in this year’s data include:

• Rising ADHD diagnoses. If you’ve been wondering why it seems so many people have been diagnosed with ADHD, you’re not imagining it. Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder has gained significant prominence, with three distinct ADHD codes appearing in our top 20 list. ADHD, combined type (F90.2) and predominantly inattentive type (F90.0)—the latter more commonly diagnosed in girls and adult women—have both moved higher in the rankings, while ADHD, unspecified type (F90.9) makes its debut at number 20.
• Increased autism diagnoses. Autistic disorder (F84.0) has climbed four positions since last year, now ranking 16th among the most common mental health diagnoses. This shift may reflect improved diagnostic criteria and growing awareness that autism spectrum disorder can sometimes remain undiagnosed until adulthood.

Top 20 mental health ICD-10 codes

Rank	Code	Diagnosis
1	F41.1	Generalized anxiety disorder
2	F43.23	Adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depressive mood
3	F33.1	Major depressive disorder, recurrent, moderate
4	F43.22	Adjustment disorder with anxiety
5	F41.9	Anxiety disorder, unspecified
6	F43.20	Adjustment disorder, unspecified
7	F43.10	Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), unspecified
8	F43.12	Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), chronic
9	Z63.0	Problem in relationship with spouse or partner
10	F43.21	Adjustment disorder with depressed mood
11	F90.2	Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), combined type
12	F33.0	Major depressive disorder, recurrent, mild
13	F90.0	Attention-deficit disorder (ADHD), predominantly inattentive type
14	F32.1	Major depressive disorder, single episode, moderate
15	F34.1	Dysthymic disorder
16	F84.0	Autistic disorder
17	F33.2	Major depressive disorder, recurrent, without psychotic features
18	F32.9	Major depressive disorder, single episode, unspecified
19	Z71.3	Dietary counseling and surveillance
20	F90.9	Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), unspecified type

 

The upcoming transition to ICD-11

In January 2022, the WHO released ICD-11, and it’s now used by over 35 countries worldwide.

ICD-11 aligns classifications with the latest knowledge of disease prevention and treatment. 

Some notable differences between icd 10 and icd 11 include: 

• New core chapters for “diseases of the immune system,” “sleep-wake disorders,” and “conditions related to sexual health.” 
• Overall coding improvements to allow more precise data collection, including new codes for antimicrobial resistance, specific coding for clinical stages of HIV, codes for common skin cancers, and more. 
• Improved ease of coding requires less user-training, and new availability for online and offline functioning 

To learn more about the updates to ICD-11, visit the WHO’s website where you’ll find more resources on the changes and how to implement them in your practice. 

When do we start using ICD-11?

There’s often a delay between when ICD updates are published and when they actually begin to be used, and the ICD-11 is no exception.

Although the updates officially became available to member states of the WHO in 2022, the U.S. does not yet have an official plan for rollout, and ICD-11 may not be implemented in the U.S. until 2025.

It’s up to each country to make the shift, and it’ll take some time for the U.S. to transition from ICD-10 to ICD-11. 

ICD-11 implementation timeline for U.S. clinicians

The eventual transition to ICD-11 will have varying impacts depending on your specialty area.

As a mental health clinician, it’s important to:

1. Stay informed about annual updates to current ICD-10 codes to ensure continued insurance reimbursement
2. Review codes you use frequently to identify any modifications or replacements
3. Use the search function in CMS documents to efficiently track changes to your commonly used codes
4. Dedicate time for systematic review of billing documentation to avoid reimbursement delays

Navigating the complexities of insurance billing remains a challenge for many mental health practitioners.

By proactively monitoring code updates and maintaining accurate documentation, you can minimize administrative burden while ensuring proper reimbursement for the essential services you provide. 

How SimplePractice streamlines running your practice

SimplePractice is HIPAA-compliant practice management software that makes it easy to create, submit, track, and reconcile insurance claims all in one place—no more spreadsheets, separate logins, or ledgers.

This will help you to become confident your billing is set up and running correctly. Consequently, you can reduce administrative work and spend more time with your clients and less on billing.

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