F33.1: Major depressive disorder, recurrent, moderate
Billable ICD-10-CM code, FY2027
What ICD-10-CM says
Notes at F33, Major depressive disorder, recurrent (they apply to every code under it)
Includes
- recurrent episodes of depressive reaction
- recurrent episodes of endogenous depression
- recurrent episodes of major depression
- recurrent episodes of psychogenic depression
- recurrent episodes of reactive depression
- recurrent episodes of seasonal affective disorder
- recurrent episodes of seasonal depressive disorder
- recurrent episodes of vital depression
Excludes1 (never coded with F33.1)
- bipolar disorder (F31.-)
- manic episode (F30.-)
What F33.1 covers
F33.1 is for major depressive disorder when the patient has had more than one episode and the current episode is of moderate severity. Recurrent and severity are both the clinician's call, based on their assessment and the DSM-5-TR criteria.
Psychiatry, psychology and primary care use it often. A first episode of moderate severity is F32.1, not F33.1. The other recurrent codes cover mild (F33.0), severe without psychotic features (F33.2), severe with psychotic symptoms (F33.3) and remission (F33.4-).
Billing and coding notes
The F33 category has an excludes1 note for bipolar disorder (F31.-) and manic episode (F30.-). If the patient is diagnosed with bipolar disorder, a depressive episode is coded within F31, not with F33.1.
Severity and episode status have to come from the documentation. If the note says "recurrent major depression" with no severity, the code is F33.9, not F33.1. Exhaustion and fatigue due to a recurrent depressive episode are part of this condition, which is why R53.8- excludes them.
Related codes under F33
- F33.0 Major depressive disorder, recurrent, mild
- F33.2 Major depressive disorder, recurrent severe without psychotic features
- F33.3 Major depressive disorder, recurrent, severe with psychotic symptoms
- F33.4 Major depressive disorder, recurrent, in remission
- F33.8 Other recurrent depressive disorders
- F33.9 Major depressive disorder, recurrent, unspecified
Questions about F33.1
What is the difference between F33.1 and F32.1?
Both describe a moderate major depressive episode. F32.1 is a single episode, and F33.1 is recurrent, meaning the patient has had at least one earlier episode.
Can F33.1 be coded with an anxiety code like F41.1?
Yes. There is no excludes note between them, so both can be reported when the clinician documents both disorders.
ICD-10-CM in CloudMedico
In CloudMedico, a visit's diagnoses come from the current ICD-10-CM list. For US practices, the visit flags a code that isn't billable on its date, and a superbill made from an invoice carries the visit's diagnoses.
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