F41.1: Generalized anxiety disorder

The ICD-10-CM code for generalized anxiety disorder when the provider documents persistent, excessive worry across multiple domains of daily life occurring more days than not for at least six months.

Billable

FY2027

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At a glance

Code Family

F41: Other anxiety disorders, covering anxiety disorders not elsewhere classified.

HCC Mapping (v28)

No HCC mapping: F41.1 does not map to any CMS-HCC v28 category.

Condition

Generalized anxiety disorder

Family Specificity

Single billable code with no child codes. All severity levels are captured under F41.1.

Effective Date

Valid in the FY2026 code set and unchanged in the FY2027 update.

Which anxiety disorder code do I assign?

Category F41 covers anxiety disorders not elsewhere classified, and the choice within it turns on the pattern the clinician documents rather than on severity. Generalized worry, discrete panic attacks and stimulus-specific fear each land on a different code, and the unspecified option should be reached only when the record genuinely supports nothing more precise.

When documentation says…

Code

Persistent excessive worry across several areas of life, more days than not for at least six months, with tension, restlessness or fatigue

F41.1

Use when a physician or qualified provider documents generalized anxiety disorder as a confirmed diagnosis. The assessment must be consistent with GAD, and the inclusion terms anxiety neurosis, anxiety reaction, anxiety state and overanxious disorder all map here.

Recurrent discrete panic attacks

F41.0

Use when the documentation describes episodic paroxysmal anxiety rather than the continuous worry pattern of GAD.

Mixed anxiety presentation that does not fit a single named subtype

F41.3

Use for other mixed anxiety disorders.

A named anxiety disorder that has no dedicated code elsewhere in the category

F41.8

Use for other specified anxiety disorders.

Anxiety disorder documented with no subtype and no detail supporting GAD

F41.9

The residual code. Do not reach for it when the record supports the more specific F41.1.

Tabular notes

INCLUSION TERMS

Anxiety neurosis. Anxiety reaction. Anxiety state. Overanxious disorder. These are the inclusion terms at F41.1. The Alphabetic Index also sends each of them to F41.1.

EXCLUDES2

The F41 category carries an Excludes2 note for anxiety in acute stress reaction (F43.0), transient adjustment reaction (F43.2), neurasthenia (F48.8), psychophysiologic disorders (F45.-) and separation anxiety (F93.0). This note applies to all F41.x codes including F41.1. F41.1 repeats the Excludes2 note for neurasthenia at the code level. Neurasthenia is an inclusion term at F48.8, Other specified nonpsychotic mental disorders. Because these are Type 2 excludes, F41.1 may be reported with one of these codes when both conditions are independently documented.

NO USE ADDITIONAL OR CODE FIRST

F41.1 carries no Code First or Use Additional instructions in the FY2027 tabular.

FY2027 CHANGES

No codes were added to or deleted from category F41 in FY2027, and the FY2027 tabular addenda revise no note at F41 or F41.1. F41.1 is unchanged in the FY2027 update.

Operational & financial impact

Why specificity matters beyond the chart: risk adjustment, DRG assignment and denial exposure all follow from which code is selected.

CMS-HCC v28 (PY2024+)

No HCC mapping applies. F41.1 does not map to any Hierarchical Condition Category in CMS-HCC Model Version 28, which is fully operative at 100% weight for Medicare Advantage payment year 2026. Generalized anxiety disorder is not a risk-adjusting condition under the current model.

Some third-party sources associate F41.1 with HCC 152. The CMS-HCC v28 and v24 crosswalks bundled with the CMS model software map F41.1 to no HCC.

MEDICARE AND PAYER COVERAGE

There is no National Coverage Determination specific to F41.1.

WHERE SPECIFICITY IS LOST

Reaching for F41.9 when the record supports generalized anxiety disorder loses specificity. Coding F41.1 when the documentation actually describes panic disorder, phobic anxiety or an adjustment disorder misstates the condition being managed.

Documentation checklist to support F41.1

Chart elements that support code selection and reduce specificity-driven denials.

Physician or qualified provider documentation of generalized anxiety disorder as a confirmed diagnosis.

A clinician assessment consistent with GAD, showing persistent excessive worry, multiple worry domains and associated symptoms such as tension, restlessness or fatigue.

A distinction from other anxiety subtypes where the encounter note specifies one, including panic disorder, specific phobia and social anxiety disorder.

Confirmation that the anxiety is not documented as a component of an adjustment disorder, which would direct the encounter to the F43.2 codes.

Documentation that the condition was addressed or managed at the encounter, whether that is medication management, psychotherapy or chronic condition monitoring.

Sequencing of F41.1 as the principal or primary diagnosis when GAD is the reason for the encounter.

FAQ

What separates F41.1 from F41.0?

F41.1 captures the continuous pattern of generalized anxiety disorder, persistent excessive worry about multiple domains of daily life occurring more days than not for at least six months. F41.0 captures panic disorder, which involves discrete panic attacks, and phobic anxiety disorders under F40.x are stimulus-specific.

Does F41.1 have severity-level child codes?

No. F41.1 is a single billable code with no child codes. All severity levels are captured under it.

Does F41.1 map to an HCC?

No. F41.1 carries no HCC in the CMS-HCC v28 or v24 crosswalks bundled with the CMS model software. Some third-party sources link it to HCC 152, which those crosswalks do not support.

Can F41.1 and F48.8 be reported on the same encounter?

Yes. The F41 category's Excludes2 note for neurasthenia means the conditions may coexist. F41.1 and F48.8 may both be reported when each is independently documented.

What if anxiety symptoms are documented but GAD is not confirmed?

In the outpatient setting, code F41.1 only when GAD is documented as a confirmed diagnosis. When GAD is not confirmed, code what the provider documents. The Index sends anxiety NOS to F41.9, Anxiety disorder, unspecified, and nervousness to R45.0, Nervousness. On the inpatient side, GAD documented as probable or suspected at the time of discharge may be coded as if established under Section II.H of the Official Guidelines.

How is anxiety handled when it arises alongside another mental disorder?

When the anxiety is better explained by an adjustment disorder, code the adjustment disorder to the F43.2 codes. Anxiety can appear as a manifestation of another mental disorder, such as anxiety in the context of major depressive disorder. Clinical judgment and the guidelines determine whether F41.1 is reported as an additional code or only the primary disorder is coded.

Related codes

Codes in the same family as F41.1. Only codes with a published page render as links.

Sibling codes in the F41 family

F41.0: Panic disorder [episodic paroxysmal anxiety].
F41.1: Generalized anxiety disorder.
F41.3: Other mixed anxiety disorders.
F41.8: Other specified anxiety disorders.
F41.9: Anxiety disorder, unspecified.

Additional codes to consider

Codes outside the F41 family considered alongside F41.1.

Companion: code alongside when documented

F48.8: Other specified nonpsychotic mental disorders, where neurasthenia is an inclusion term. May be reported with F41.1 under the category's Excludes2 note when both conditions are independently documented.

Consider instead

F41.0: Panic disorder [episodic paroxysmal anxiety].
F41.9: Anxiety disorder, unspecified, when the documentation does not support GAD.
F40.10: Social phobia, unspecified.
F40.11: Social phobia, generalized.
F43.22: Adjustment disorder with anxiety.
F43.10: Post-traumatic stress disorder, unspecified.
R45.0: Nervousness, the symptom code the Index assigns to nervousness when no anxiety disorder is confirmed.

Sources

All claims on this page derive from government and professional-standards sources.

National Center for Health Statistics. (2026). International classification of diseases, tenth revision, clinical modification (ICD-10-CM) FY2027 files. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/icd/icd-10-cm/files.html
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and National Center for Health Statistics. (2026). ICD-10-CM official guidelines for coding and reporting FY2027. https://ftp.cdc.gov/pub/Health_Statistics/NCHS/Publications/ICD10CM/2027/ICD-10-CM-October-1-2026-FY27-Guidelines.pdf
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. (2025). 2026 model software/ICD-10 mappings. https://www.cms.gov/medicare/payment/medicare-advantage-rates-statistics/risk-adjustment/2026-model-software-icd-10-mappings
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. (2026). MS-DRG classifications and software, version 44. https://www.cms.gov/medicare/payment/prospective-payment-systems/acute-inpatient-pps/ms-drg-classifications-and-software