ICD-10 Codes for PTSD: F43.10, F43.11, F43.12

The code titles say acute or chronic, but they do not define a duration. Use F43.11 or F43.12 only when the clinician documents PTSD as acute or chronic. When the diagnosis is PTSD with no such qualifier, F43.10 is the accurate code. The FY2027 Official Guidelines ask for the highest specificity the record supports (Section IV.F.3), which cuts both ways: do not pick a more specific code than the documentation states.

F43.8, Other reactions to severe stress, carries the inclusion term "Other specified trauma and stressor-related disorder", and is split into F43.81 (prolonged grief disorder) and F43.89 (other reactions). F43.9 covers an unspecified trauma and stressor-related disorder.

Trauma history is often relevant even when it is not the diagnosis treated. These Z codes describe it. Z codes for social determinants of health (categories Z55 to Z65) are reported as secondary diagnoses only, per Section I.B.14 of the guidelines. The history codes in Z91.4 and Z62.81 are listed here for completeness; see the Z code guide for how they are used.

Not in outpatient care. Section IV.H of the FY2027 guidelines says not to code diagnoses written as probable, suspected, rule out, or working diagnosis. Code the symptoms or other reason for the visit instead, then change to F43.1x once the clinician confirms PTSD.

Trauma work is often paced over many sessions, and some sessions focus on stabilization rather than processing. The note should still connect each session to the PTSD diagnosis: which symptoms were targeted, what was done, and how the client tolerated it. A session spent on grounding skills after a hard week is part of PTSD treatment when the note says so.

Example assessment line for a SOAP note: "PTSD, chronic (F43.12), per diagnostic evaluation. Nightmares reduced from five to two nights this week; avoidance of driving persists. Tolerated imaginal exposure for 20 minutes with distress peaking at 7/10 and falling to 3/10." The qualifier "chronic" appears only because the clinician documented it.

Avoid detailed trauma narratives in routine progress notes unless they are clinically needed. A short reference to the target memory or theme is usually enough for continuity and keeps the record focused on treatment.

Trauma-focused therapy sessions are often longer, so CPT 90837 (53 minutes or more) is common, with 90834 for 38 to 52 minutes. If a session becomes a crisis, the crisis codes 90839 and 90840 may apply. When interpreters or other communication factors complicate the session, see interactive complexity, 90785.