Adjustment disorder with anxiety

This code signifies a maladaptive emotional or behavioral reaction to an identifiable psychosocial stressor, characterized predominantly by symptoms of anxiety. The symptoms must develop within three months of the stressor's onset and cause significant impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning, or marked distress in excess of what would be expected from exposure to the stressor.

Apply this code when a patient presents with anxiety symptoms directly attributable to a recent, identifiable stressor, and these symptoms do not meet criteria for another specific mental disorder. Documentation should clearly identify the stressor, the temporal relationship between the stressor and the onset of anxiety, and the functional impairment or distress experienced by the patient.

• Differentiate from Generalized Anxiety Disorder (F41.1), which is not necessarily tied to a specific stressor.
• Ensure the anxiety symptoms are not merely an exacerbation of a pre-existing mental disorder.
• Look for explicit documentation of "adjustment disorder with anxiety" or similar phrasing linking anxiety to a recent stressor.