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ICD-10 codes for personality disorders

Personality disorders fall under ICD-10 F60, or “specific personality disorders.”

Proper documentation is essential for accurate billing and timely payment. Along with identifying a billing code, you’ll need to find the right ICD-10 code for a diagnosis to include in your session notes and insurance claim

One diagnosis therapists treat and bill is personality disorders. Below, learn more about ICD-10 codes for personality disorders to streamline your documentation and billing process as a therapist.

It’s important you make a clear, accurate and specific diagnosis that is appropriate to your individual patient clinical picture. These examples should be for reference and are not intended to guide a diagnosis. The client must meet diagnostic criteria for the F code they are assigned.

The ICD-10 classification system for personality disorders

Personality disorders fall under ICD-10 F60, or “specific personality disorders.”

This section includes personality disorders that include severe disturbances in the personality and behavioral tendencies of an individual, not directly resulting from disease, damage, or other insult to the brain, or from another psychiatric disorder. These disorders usually involve several areas of the personality and are nearly always associated with considerable personal distress and social disruption, manifesting since childhood or adolescence and continuing through adulthood.

Beneath F60 are several subtypes of personality disorders. It’s important to use the most accurate code possible when you’re diagnosing your client and filing insurance claims.

Specific ICD-10 codes for personality disorders

  • F60.0, Paranoid personality disorder: Predominant traits include pervasive distrust and suspiciousness of others such that their motives are interpreted as malevolent.
  • F60.1, Schizoid personality disorder: Predominant traits include detachment from social relationships and a restricted range of emotional expression in interpersonal settings.
  • F60.2, Antisocial personality disorder: Predominant traits involve a pervasive disregard for, and violation of, the rights of others, beginning in childhood or early adolescence and continuing into adulthood.
  • F60.3, Borderline personality disorder: Predominant features include instability in interpersonal relationships, self-image, and affect, along with marked impulsivity.
  • F60.4, Histrionic personality disorder: Predominant characteristics include excessive emotionality and attention-seeking behavior, often with dramatic expression and suggestibility.
  • F60.5, Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder: Predominant symptoms involve a preoccupation with orderliness, perfectionism, and control at the expense of flexibility, openness, and efficiency.
  • F60.6, Avoidant personality disorder: Characterized by social inhibition, feelings of inadequacy, and hypersensitivity to negative evaluation.
  • F60.7, Dependent personality disorder: Marked by a pervasive and excessive need to be taken care of, leading to submissive and clinging behavior and fears of separation.
  • F60.8, Other specific personality disorders: Used when the personality disturbance does not clearly meet criteria for any of the specific disorders above but is still characterized by enduring maladaptive traits (e.g., passive-aggressive, depressive).
  • F60.81, Narcissistic personality disorder: Predominant traits include grandiosity, a need for admiration, and a lack of empathy, beginning in early adulthood and present in a variety of contexts.
  • F60.89, Other specific personality disorders: Used when a specific but less common or otherwise specified personality pattern is present (e.g., sadistic, self-defeating), and not captured by other categories.
  • F60.9, Personality disorder, unspecified: Used when the clinician determines that a personality disorder is present, but it does not meet criteria for any specific category.

Comparing ICD-10 and DSM-5 personality disorder classifications

Personality disorders are recognized in both the ICD-10 and the DSM-5-TR, but there are some key differences in how they’re classified and coded. 

In the ICD-10, personality disorders fall under the F60 category, or “Specific personality disorders.” The ICD-10 provides several more specific codes to accurately reflect presenting symptoms. This system allows for more detailed coding and is used for insurance and billing purposes. 

The DSM-5-TR, on the other hand, classifies personality disorders in a separate section titled “Personality Disorders.” It outlines ten specific disorders grouped into three clusters (A, B, and C), based on shared characteristics. While the DSM-5-TR focuses more on diagnostic criteria — such as enduring patterns of inner experience and behavior that deviate markedly from cultural expectations.

Specific considerations for documenting personality disorders

Borderline personality disorder involves maladaptive instability in interpersonal relationships, self-image, and affect, along with marked impulsivity, beginning by early adulthood and present in a variety of contexts, as indicated by five or more of the following: 


  • Fear of abandonment 
  • Unstable or changing relationships
  • Unstable self-image; struggles with identity or sense of self
  • Impulsive or self-damaging behaviors (i.e. excessive spending, unsafe sex, substance abuse, or reckless driving)
  • Suicidal behavior or self-injury
  • Varied or random mood swings 
  • Constant feelings of worthlessness or sadness
  • Problems with anger, including frequent loss of temper or physical fights 
  • Stress-related paranoia or loss of contact with reality


If you diagnose a client with borderline personality disorder, you can create your treatment plan accordingly and use the correct CPT codes when you file insurance claims.

Headway is your partner in personality disorder coding and billing.

Headway simplifies documentation and billing so providers can focus on what matters most: delivering quality care. With built-in support for insurance billing, progress notes, and ICD-10 coding, Headway makes it easy to stay compliant and get paid on time. 

Our platform offers pre-filled templates, automatic claim submission, and real-time tracking — so you spend less time on paperwork and more time with your clients. Join Headway and streamline your practice with smarter, faster billing and documentation support.

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