Unspecified mood [affective] disorder
In Mood [affective] disorders (F30-F39), chapter 5: Mental, Behavioral and Neurodevelopmental Disorders
- F39 is an unspecified code: use it only when the record doesn't document anything more specific. If the record has more detail, check the other codes under F30-F39 below.
- As a secondary diagnosis it is not a CC or MCC, so it doesn't raise the MS-DRG payment.
- Doesn't count toward a Medicare Advantage risk score (no HCC in V28; it was HCC 59 in V24).
- AHRQ's Chronic Condition Indicator classes it as not chronic (an acute or short-term condition).
- 12 US deaths in 2024 had an underlying cause in category F39, per the National Vital Statistics System on CDC WONDER. Death records use WHO ICD-10, so the count is for the whole category.
Also indexed as: Disorder, mood; Disorder, mood, recurrent; Episode, affective, mixed
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Instructional notes
Includes: conditions that are coded here
- Affective psychosis NOS
Official coding guidelines
From the ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting, FY 2027 (CMS and NCHS). Links open the PDF at the right page.
Covers psychological pain disorders, substance use, abuse, dependence and remission, factitious disorder including Munchausen by proxy, and dementia severity.
- Pain disorders related to psychological factors (page 43)
- Mental and behavioral disorders due to psychoactive substance use (page 43)
- Factitious Disorder (page 44)
- Dementia (page 45)
Other codes under F30-F39
Mood [affective] disorders (F30-F39)
- F30Manic episode
- F31Bipolar disorder
- F32Depressive episode
- F33Major depressive disorder, recurrent
- F34Persistent mood [affective] disorders
- F39Unspecified mood [affective] disorder(this code)
Related conditions
Grouped by AHRQ's Clinical Classifications Software Refined (CCSR), which sorts every diagnosis code into clinically meaningful categories.
F39 is in Other specified and unspecified mood disorders (MBD004, its default category), with 5 codes. Others in it:
Medicare coverage articles listing F39
These 8 Medicare billing and coding articles list F39 as a diagnosis that supports medical necessity for the services they cover. From the CMS Medicare Coverage Database; check your own contractor's article before billing.
- Psychiatry and Psychology Services (2 contractors)
- Controlled Substance Monitoring and Drugs of Abuse Testing
- Home Health - Psychiatric Care
- Monitored Anesthesia Care
- Outpatient Psychiatry and Psychology Services
- Psychiatric Inpatient Hospitalization
- Psychiatric Partial Hospitalization Programs
- Psychological and Neuropsychological Tests
Other codes that refer to F39
Notes on these codes point to F39.
About the condition
Plain-language background from MedlinePlus (National Library of Medicine), not coding guidance.
Mood Disorders
Most people feel sad or irritable from time to time. They may say they're in a bad mood. A mood disorder is different. It affects a person's everyday emotional state. Nearly one in ten people aged 18 and older have mood disorders. These include depression and bipolar disorder (also called manic depression).
Read more about mood disorders on MedlinePlusCode history
Valid since FY2016, when ICD-10-CM took effect on October 1, 2015. No changes since.
ICD-9-CM equivalent
Legacy crosswalk from the CMS General Equivalence Mappings (last updated 2018).
- 296.90 Unspecified episodic mood disorder (approximate)