What is ICD-10 code F43.10?

F43.10 is the ICD-10-CM code for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Unspecified. It denotes PTSD when the clinician has not specified the subtype (acute vs chronic), the most commonly used PTSD code in U.S. behavioural health workflows.

What are the diagnostic criteria for F43.10?

DSM-5-TR criteria for PTSD require: (A) exposure to actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violence; (B) intrusion symptoms; (C) persistent avoidance; (D) negative alterations in cognition and mood; (E) marked alterations in arousal and reactivity; (F) duration ≥1 month; (G) clinically significant distress or impairment; (H) not attributable to a substance or medical condition.

What scale is used to screen for F43.10?

The PTSD Checklist for DSM-5-TR (PCL-5) is the standard self-report screener. A total score of 33 or higher is the suggested provisional cutoff for PTSD (Bovin et al., 2016). The Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS-5) is the criterion-standard for diagnostic confirmation.

What is the difference between F43.10 and F43.11/F43.12?

F43.10 is PTSD, Unspecified. F43.11 is PTSD, Acute (symptoms present for less than 3 months). F43.12 is PTSD, Chronic (symptoms present for 3 months or longer). F43.10 is most commonly used in clinical practice when the acute/chronic distinction is not specified.

Is F43.10 the same as the ICD-10 code for PTSD?

F43.10 is the most common ICD-10-CM code used for PTSD presentations. The full PTSD code family is F43.10 (Unspecified), F43.11 (Acute), F43.12 (Chronic). Acute Stress Reaction (F43.0) is a separate code for stress responses occurring within days of trauma exposure.

Is F43.10 a billable ICD-10-CM code?

Yes, F43.10 is a billable code in the FY2027 ICD-10-CM code set (effective October 1, 2026). It is the most commonly reimbursed PTSD code in U.S. behavioural health workflows. Other billable codes in the family include F43.11 (PTSD, acute) and F43.12 (PTSD, chronic), used when the acute or chronic course is specified in clinical documentation.

What are the symptoms of PTSD?

PTSD produces a four-cluster symptom pattern lasting more than one month after trauma exposure. Intrusion symptoms include flashbacks, nightmares, and intense distress when reminded of the trauma. Avoidance symptoms include staying away from trauma reminders, places, or conversations. Negative cognitions and mood include persistent negative beliefs, distorted self-blame, anhedonia, and emotional numbing. Arousal symptoms include hypervigilance, exaggerated startle, irritability, sleep disturbance, and concentration problems.

PTSD is caused by exposure to actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violence, but only a minority of those exposed develop the full disorder. Risk factors include trauma severity and duration, prior trauma history, lack of social support, peritraumatic dissociation, female sex, and family history of mental illness. Neurobiological contributors include heightened amygdala reactivity, reduced hippocampal volume, altered cortisol response, and disrupted fear-extinction circuits.

PTSD is treatable and many patients achieve substantial remission with evidence-based care. First-line trauma-focused therapies include Prolonged Exposure (PE), Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), and EMDR, with 50% to 70% of patients no longer meeting PTSD criteria after a full course. SSRIs (sertraline, paroxetine) and venlafaxine are first-line medications. Without treatment, roughly one-third of cases become chronic; with treatment, most patients see meaningful symptom reduction within 8 to 16 sessions.

PTSD stands for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, a condition that develops after exposure to a traumatic event and persists beyond one month. ICD-10-CM codes PTSD as F43.10 (unspecified), F43.11 (acute), or F43.12 (chronic). The PCL-5 is the standard 20-item self-report screener, the CAPS-5 is the criterion-standard diagnostic interview, and trauma-focused CBT plus SSRI medication are the first-line evidence-based treatments.

F43.10ICD-10-CMPost-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Unspecified

Official ICD-10-CM descriptor: Post-traumatic stress disorder, unspecified · Category header, not billable: use a more specific code

PTSD presentation following exposure to actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violence, with symptoms persisting for more than one month and causing clinically significant distress or impairment.

Recommended screener

Validated screener
PTSD Checklist for DSM-5-TR (PCL-5)
View scale

DSM-5-TR diagnostic criteria summary

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder requires criteria across eight clusters:

Criterion A (Exposure): Exposure to actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violence, directly experienced, witnessed in person, learned of in close family/friend, or repeated/extreme exposure to aversive details (typical of first responders).
Criterion B (Intrusion): One or more, recurrent intrusive memories, distressing dreams, dissociative reactions (flashbacks), intense distress at trauma cues, marked physiological reactions to cues.
Criterion C (Avoidance): Persistent avoidance of trauma-related stimuli, internal reminders or external situations.
Criterion D (Negative cognitions and mood): Two or more, inability to remember key features, persistent negative beliefs about self/others/world, distorted blame, persistent negative emotional state, anhedonia, detachment, inability to experience positive emotions.
Criterion E (Arousal and reactivity): Two or more, irritable behavior/aggression, reckless behavior, hypervigilance, exaggerated startle, concentration problems, sleep disturbance.
Criterion F: Duration ≥1 month.
Criterion G: Clinically significant distress or impairment.
Criterion H: Not attributable to a substance or another medical condition.

Source: American Psychiatric Association. (2022). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-5-TR), p. 301–313.

Differential diagnosis

Acute Stress Disorder (F43.0), symptoms persist 3 days to 1 month after trauma; if ≥1 month, transitions to PTSD.
Adjustment Disorders (F43.21–F43.25), clinically significant distress in response to an identifiable stressor that does not meet PTSD Criterion A.
Major Depressive Disorder (F33, F32), frequent comorbidity; depressive symptoms can dominate.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (F41.1), pervasive worry without trauma exposure history.
Substance/Medication-Induced Conditions.
Traumatic Brain Injury, complicates PTSD diagnosis when concussion or TBI co-occurs.

Common comorbidities

Lifetime comorbidity is the rule, not the exception, in PTSD. Common co-occurring conditions: Major Depressive Disorder (F33, F32), Substance Use Disorders (F10–F19), Generalized Anxiety Disorder (F41.1), and chronic pain conditions. Co-administer the PHQ-9, GAD-7, and AUDIT alongside the PCL-5 in clinical practice.

Sources

American Psychiatric Association. (2022). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-5-TR), F43.10, p. 301–313.
Bovin, M. J., Marx, B. P., Weathers, F. W., Gallagher, M. W., Rodriguez, P., Schnurr, P. P., & Keane, T. M. (2016). Psychometric properties of the PTSD Checklist for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders–Fifth Edition (PCL-5) in veterans. Psychological Assessment, 28(11), 1379–1391.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. ICD-10-CM Official Coding Guidelines.

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Frequently asked questions

What is ICD-10 code F43.10?
F43.10 is the ICD-10-CM code for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Unspecified. It denotes PTSD when the clinician has not specified the subtype (acute vs chronic), the most commonly used PTSD code in U.S. behavioural health workflows.
What are the diagnostic criteria for F43.10?
DSM-5-TR criteria for PTSD require: (A) exposure to actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violence; (B) intrusion symptoms; (C) persistent avoidance; (D) negative alterations in cognition and mood; (E) marked alterations in arousal and reactivity; (F) duration ≥1 month; (G) clinically significant distress or impairment; (H) not attributable to a substance or medical condition.
What scale is used to screen for F43.10?
The PTSD Checklist for DSM-5-TR (PCL-5) is the standard self-report screener. A total score of 33 or higher is the suggested provisional cutoff for PTSD (Bovin et al., 2016). The Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS-5) is the criterion-standard for diagnostic confirmation.
What is the difference between F43.10 and F43.11/F43.12?
F43.10 is PTSD, Unspecified. F43.11 is PTSD, Acute (symptoms present for less than 3 months). F43.12 is PTSD, Chronic (symptoms present for 3 months or longer). F43.10 is most commonly used in clinical practice when the acute/chronic distinction is not specified.
Is F43.10 the same as the ICD-10 code for PTSD?
F43.10 is the most common ICD-10-CM code used for PTSD presentations. The full PTSD code family is F43.10 (Unspecified), F43.11 (Acute), F43.12 (Chronic). Acute Stress Reaction (F43.0) is a separate code for stress responses occurring within days of trauma exposure.
Is F43.10 a billable ICD-10-CM code?
Yes, F43.10 is a billable code in the FY2027 ICD-10-CM code set (effective October 1, 2026). It is the most commonly reimbursed PTSD code in U.S. behavioural health workflows. Other billable codes in the family include F43.11 (PTSD, acute) and F43.12 (PTSD, chronic), used when the acute or chronic course is specified in clinical documentation.
What are the symptoms of PTSD?
PTSD produces a four-cluster symptom pattern lasting more than one month after trauma exposure. Intrusion symptoms include flashbacks, nightmares, and intense distress when reminded of the trauma. Avoidance symptoms include staying away from trauma reminders, places, or conversations. Negative cognitions and mood include persistent negative beliefs, distorted self-blame, anhedonia, and emotional numbing. Arousal symptoms include hypervigilance, exaggerated startle, irritability, sleep disturbance, and concentration problems.
How is PTSD diagnosed?
PTSD is diagnosed by a clinician using DSM-5-TR criteria, which require qualifying trauma exposure plus symptoms across four clusters (intrusion, avoidance, negative cognitions and mood, arousal) lasting more than one month and causing clinically significant distress or impairment. Diagnosis typically follows a positive PCL-5 screen (cutoff 33+), the criterion-standard CAPS-5 structured interview for confirmation, and screening for comorbid depression, substance use, and traumatic brain injury.
What causes PTSD?
PTSD is caused by exposure to actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violence, but only a minority of those exposed develop the full disorder. Risk factors include trauma severity and duration, prior trauma history, lack of social support, peritraumatic dissociation, female sex, and family history of mental illness. Neurobiological contributors include heightened amygdala reactivity, reduced hippocampal volume, altered cortisol response, and disrupted fear-extinction circuits.
Can PTSD be cured?
PTSD is treatable and many patients achieve substantial remission with evidence-based care. First-line trauma-focused therapies include Prolonged Exposure (PE), Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), and EMDR, with 50% to 70% of patients no longer meeting PTSD criteria after a full course. SSRIs (sertraline, paroxetine) and venlafaxine are first-line medications. Without treatment, roughly one-third of cases become chronic; with treatment, most patients see meaningful symptom reduction within 8 to 16 sessions.
What is PTSD?
PTSD stands for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, a condition that develops after exposure to a traumatic event and persists beyond one month. ICD-10-CM codes PTSD as F43.10 (unspecified), F43.11 (acute), or F43.12 (chronic). The PCL-5 is the standard 20-item self-report screener, the CAPS-5 is the criterion-standard diagnostic interview, and trauma-focused CBT plus SSRI medication are the first-line evidence-based treatments.