ICD-10 for therapists
F33.0 — Major depressive disorder, recurrent, mild
A new mild-severity depressive episode in someone with at least one prior major depressive episode separated by a period of recovery.
- Code
- F33.0 (ICD-10-CM)
- Common CPT pairings
- 90834 · 90837
Clinical picture
- Requires a history of at least one prior episode with an inter-episode interval of two months or more of partial or full remission.
- Recurrence risk rises with each episode; relapse-prevention work has strong evidence in the recurrent population.
- Distinguish from persistent depressive disorder (F34.1), where low-grade symptoms are chronic rather than episodic.
Documentation tips
- Document the episode history — dates or approximate spans of prior episodes and remissions justify the recurrent family.
- Chart current severity separately from history; recurrent-mild is a common maintenance-phase code.
Billing notes
Maintenance and relapse-prevention sessions are billable under standard psychotherapy codes; document the prevention rationale in the plan.
Related codes
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Start free — no credit cardThis reference summarizes ICD-10-CM coding conventions and common billing practice for licensed clinicians. It is not medical, legal, or payer-specific billing advice; diagnosis requires clinical evaluation, and payer policies vary. Verify codes against the current ICD-10-CM release.