So often it seems like there is this secret world behind the therapist’s note pad. A world made up of CPT codes, NPI numbers, billing forms and diagnoses. In a previous post, I discussed the importance of CPT codes and how they impact behavioral health treatment. In this post, we’ll examine a fairly comprehensive list of all the mental health diagnoses a therapist could use for a client. 

In the first column you’ll see the diagnostic code. The diagnostic coding, as discussed last year in our DSM post is a language that communicates a lot of info in just a few numbers (read the DSM post if you want to learn more about what it’s communicating).

In the middle column, you’ll see the diagnosis title or name. This is what you’ll typically hear discussed by your therapist (…ok, maybe), on the television or in the kitchen during Thanksgiving dinner about that crazy aunt.

The third column is the clinical category in which the diagnosis is found within the DSM-V (yet another post we have buried somewhere). 

Now, what you will not see below is the explanation for each diagnosis and what criteria need to be met to be diagnosed (or what we think of as the ‘constellation of symptoms’). While we’ll slowly tackle that in future posts, it’s best for now to talk with your therapist. They’ll have the time and knowledge to go into detail about your unique circumstances.

So why post all this? As a therapist, part of my job is to provide a transparent process of clinical intervention, if not resolution. Huh? Basically, I want clients to know what’s happening behind the scenes regarding their diagnoses, their insurance, their medical files and anything else that impacts them. I’m ultimately trying to work myself out of a job.