What is the ICD‑10‑CM code for adjustment disorder with anxiety triggered by a health‑related stressor?

ICD-10-CM Code for Adjustment Disorder with Anxiety (Health-Related Stressor)

The appropriate ICD-10-CM code for adjustment disorder with anxiety triggered by a health-related stressor is F43.22 (Adjustment Disorder with Anxiety). 1

Diagnostic Requirements

To assign this code, the patient must meet specific temporal and functional criteria:

• Anxiety symptoms must emerge within 3 months of the health-related stressor (e.g., new cancer diagnosis, myocardial infarction, chronic disease diagnosis) 2, 1
• The symptoms must cause clinically significant impairment in social, occupational, or other important functional domains—not merely subjective distress 2, 1
• The presentation cannot meet full criteria for another primary anxiety disorder such as Generalized Anxiety Disorder (which requires ≥6 months of persistent worry) 1

Critical Distinction from Other Anxiety Codes

The 3-month onset window is the key differentiator:

• If anxiety symptoms begin more than 3 months after the health event, adjustment disorder is generally not appropriate 1
• Generalized Anxiety Disorder (F41.1) requires at least 6 months of excessive, uncontrollable worry about multiple domains, whereas adjustment disorder is time-limited and stressor-linked 2, 1
• Anxiety Disorder Due to Another Medical Condition (F06.4) should be used only when the medical condition directly causes anxiety through physiological mechanisms (e.g., hyperthyroidism, traumatic brain injury), not when it serves as a psychosocial stressor 3

Documentation Best Practices

Your clinical documentation should explicitly state:

• The specific health-related stressor and its timing (e.g., "diagnosed with stage III breast cancer 6 weeks ago") 1
• Evidence of functional impairment beyond normal adaptive stress responses (e.g., "unable to attend medical appointments due to anxiety," "stopped working") 1, 3
• That symptoms do not meet criteria for GAD, panic disorder, or other primary anxiety disorders 1

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

Do not confuse normal adaptive stress with adjustment disorder:

• Normal worry about a new diagnosis is expected; adjustment disorder requires symptoms that are excessive and cause functional impairment beyond what is typical for that stressor 1
• The diagnosis is not appropriate if the patient already met full criteria for GAD or another anxiety disorder before the health event occurred 1

Pre-existing psychiatric conditions do not exclude this diagnosis:

• A patient with a history of depression or other psychiatric disorder can still receive F43.22 if they develop new anxiety symptoms meeting adjustment disorder criteria in response to a health stressor 1
• When multiple conditions coexist, code all diagnoses but prioritize treatment based on which causes the greatest functional impairment 1, 4

Prevalence Context

Adjustment disorder is one of the most common psychiatric diagnoses in medical populations:

• It occurs frequently in patients with serious medical illnesses such as cancer, making F43.22 a highly relevant code in oncology and other medical specialties 1
• Prevalence estimates range from 0.2% to 40% depending on the clinical setting and stressor severity 5