icd 10 code for dysthymia highest level of specificity

by Prof. Sheridan Medhurst III 3 min read

What is the ICD 10 code for dysthymic disorder?

F34.8 ICD-10-CM Code for Dysthymic disorder F34.1 ICD-10 code F34.1 for Dysthymic disorder is a medical classification as listed by WHO under the range - Mental, Behavioral and Neurodevelopmental disorders. Subscribe to Codify and get the code details in a flash.

Why is it important to assign diagnosis codes to the highest degree?

Coding to the Highest Degree of Specificity While physicians are expected to document the most specific clinical diagnosis, it is equally important that coding professionals assign diagnosis codes to the highest degree of specificity documented.

What is an unspecified diagnosis code rate?

In this author’s experience, unspecified diagnosis code rates can range anywhere from 20 percent, on the low end, to over 40 percent. A diagnosis code rate over 30 percent requires investigation and appropriate corrective actions.

What is coding specificity?

Specificity in Physician Documentation Coding specificity is a shared responsibility between the provider and the coding professional to create a clear clinical picture of the encounter.  Providers have an obligation to document conditions to the full extent of their clinical knowledge of the patient’s health.

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What is the ICD-10 code for dysthymia?

1 Dysthymia. A chronic depression of mood, lasting at least several years, which is not sufficiently severe, or in which individual episodes are not sufficiently prolonged, to justify a diagnosis of severe, moderate, or mild recurrent depressive disorder (F33.

What is the criteria for dysthymia?

The individual must be in a depressed mood for most of the day for the majority of days over at least a two year period, indicated either by subjective account or the observation of others. In children and adolescents, the duration must be at least one year, and the mood can be irritable.

What is the differential diagnosis for dysthymia?

The differential diagnosis of dysthymia includes the following: Mood disorder secondary to general medical condition. Major depressive disorder. Recurrent depressive disorder.

What is the new term for dysthymia?

Persistent depressive disorder, also called dysthymia (dis-THIE-me-uh), is a continuous long-term (chronic) form of depression.

How does dysthymia differ from major depression?

But there are key differences. Dysthymia, now usually called persistent depressive disorder (PDD), involves fewer symptoms. But they last longer, at least 2 years. You can be diagnosed with MDD if you have symptoms for 2 weeks.

Can you have dysthymia and major depressive disorder at the same time?

Over time, more than half of people with dysthymia experience worsening symptoms that lead to the onset of a full syndrome of major depression superimposed on their dysthymic disorder, resulting in what is known as double depression.

When is another specified disorder given?

For insurance purposes, if you do not meet full diagnostic criteria for a condition, the “other specified” label allows a provider to acknowledge a certain mental health condition is at play – for instance, a depressive episode that doesn't have the full number of symptoms to meet the formal diagnosis.

When was dysthymia first diagnosed?

The historic roots of dysthymic and cyclothymic disorders--part of the subaffective spectrum--are essentially Greek, but the first use of the word 'dysthymia' in psychiatry was by C.F. Flemming in 1844. E. Hecker introduced the term 'cyclothymia' in 1877.

What is the difference between dysthymia and cyclothymia?

It is important to understand that cyclothymia is determined by the alternating episodes of both happy and elevated moods and depressive symptoms. Also, dysthymia is only characterized by signs of mild depression.

Is dysthymia in the DSM 5?

In the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), persistent depressive disorder (dysthymia) represents a consolidation of DSM-IV-defined chronic major depressive disorder and dysthymic disorder.

Is dysthymia a form of bipolar?

Dysthymia cannot be diagnosed at the same time as bipolar disorder, however, because in order to qualify for a diagnosis of Dysthymia, you have to show evidence of consistently mild depressive symptoms occurring more days than not over a period of at least two years.

What is the difference between dysthymia and cyclothymia?

It is important to understand that cyclothymia is determined by the alternating episodes of both happy and elevated moods and depressive symptoms. Also, dysthymia is only characterized by signs of mild depression.

Is persistent depressive disorder a DSM-5 diagnosis?

DSM-5 has introduced yet another type of depressive diagnosis—persistent depressive disorder (dysthymia) (PDD)—which it describes as “a consolidation of DSM-IV-defined chronic major depressive disorder and dysthymic disorder” (p. 168).

What is the most important characteristic used to distinguish persistent depressive disorder from major depression?

With PDD, you may always feel at least a low-level of depression. Symptoms are largely similar for these two conditions, but anhedonia is much more characteristic of major depression. PDD is also less likely to trigger thoughts of suicide and it doesn't change your affect, causing agitation or slowed movements.

Is dysthymia a form of bipolar?

Dysthymia cannot be diagnosed at the same time as bipolar disorder, however, because in order to qualify for a diagnosis of Dysthymia, you have to show evidence of consistently mild depressive symptoms occurring more days than not over a period of at least two years.

The ICD code F341 is used to code Dysthymia

Dysthymia (/dɪsˈθaɪmiə/ dis-THY-mee-ə, from Ancient Greek δυσθυμία, "bad state of mind"), sometimes also called neurotic depression, dysthymic disorder, or chronic depression, is a mood disorder consisting of the same cognitive and physical problems as in depression, with less severe but longer-lasting symptoms.

Coding Notes for F34.1 Info for medical coders on how to properly use this ICD-10 code

Inclusion Terms are a list of concepts for which a specific code is used. The list of Inclusion Terms is useful for determining the correct code in some cases, but the list is not necessarily exhaustive.

ICD-10-CM Alphabetical Index References for 'F34.1 - Dysthymic disorder'

The ICD-10-CM Alphabetical Index links the below-listed medical terms to the ICD code F34.1. Click on any term below to browse the alphabetical index.

Equivalent ICD-9 Codes GENERAL EQUIVALENCE MAPPINGS (GEM)

This is the official approximate match mapping between ICD9 and ICD10, as provided by the General Equivalency mapping crosswalk. This means that while there is no exact mapping between this ICD10 code F34.1 and a single ICD9 code, 301.12 is an approximate match for comparison and conversion purposes.

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