F40.9

Applicable To

• Phobia NOS

• Phobic state NOS

Approximate Synonyms

• Phobia

Clinical Information

• A phobia is a type of anxiety disorder. It is a strong, irrational fear of something that poses little or no actual danger. There are many specific phobias. Acrophobia is a fear of heights. You may be able to ski the world’s tallest mountains but be unable to go above the 5th floor of an office building. Agoraphobia is a fear of public places, and claustrophobia is a fear of closed-in places. If you become anxious and extremely self-conscious in everyday social situations, you could have a social phobia. Other common phobias involve tunnels, highway driving, water, flying, animals and blood. People with phobias try to avoid what they are afraid of. If they cannot, they may experience

• An anxiety disorder characterized by an intense, irrational fear of an object, activity, or situation. The individual seeks to avoid the object, activity, or situation. In adults, the individual recognizes that the fear is excessive or unreasonable.

• An extreme, irrational, fear of something that may cause a person to panic. Examples of common phobias include fear of spiders, flying in an airplane, elevators, heights, enclosed rooms, crowded public places, and embarrassing oneself in front of other people.

• Anxiety disorder characterized by intense, unrealistic, persistent fear and avoidance of an object, activity, or situation.

• Anxiety disorders in which the essential feature is persistent and irrational fear of a specific object, activity, or situation that the individual feels compelled to avoid. The individual recognizes the fear as excessive or unreasonable.

• Continuous irrational fear about certain object, situation, or activity

• Disorders characterized by persistent, unrealistic, intense fear of an object, activity, or situation.

Details

• F40.9 is a billable/specific ICD-10-CM code that can be used to indicate a diagnosis for reimbursement purposes.

• The 2023 edition of ICD-10-CM F40.9 became effective on October 1, 2022.

• This is the American ICD-10-CM version of F40.9 – other international versions of ICD-10 F40.9 may differ.