2025 ICD-10-CM code F44.5
Conversion disorder with seizures or convulsions. This condition involves pseudoseizures, resembling epileptic seizures but without the characteristic abnormal electrical brain activity.
Medical necessity for F44.5 is established by demonstrating the psychological basis for the pseudoseizures, typically through psychological evaluation and the exclusion of neurological causes.
Diagnosis and treatment require careful evaluation by a healthcare professional specializing in mental health, who can distinguish it from other conditions. Treatment might include therapy and medication.
- 6 (Mental, Behavioral and Neurodevelopmental disorders)
- F40-F48 (Anxiety, dissociative, stress-related, somatoform and other nonpsychotic mental disorders)
In simple words: This condition causes seizures that look real but aren't caused by problems in the brain. They're triggered by stress or emotional difficulties and are called pseudoseizures.
Conversion disorder with seizures or convulsions is a somatoform disorder characterized by pseudoseizures, which mimic epileptic seizures but lack the associated abnormal electroencephalogram (EEG) findings.Patients may exhibit sudden convulsive movements or altered awareness, but these episodes are not caused by abnormal electrical activity in the brain.The underlying cause is psychological, often related to stress, trauma, or repressed emotions.
Example 1: A patient experiences seizure-like activity after a traumatic event, but EEG is normal. The diagnosis is F44.5., A patient with pre-existing epilepsy presents with seizures. Further assessment determines some seizures are epileptic and others are pseudoseizures. Both relevant codes are assigned (e.g., G40.- for epilepsy and F44.5 for pseudoseizures)., A patient exhibits convulsive movements during periods of high stress. After neurological evaluation rules out epileptic seizures, the diagnosis is F44.5.
Thorough documentation of the symptoms, history of trauma or stress, normal EEG findings, and psychological assessment are necessary for accurate coding.
- Specialties:Psychiatry, Neurology, Psychology
- Place of Service:Inpatient Hospital, Outpatient Hospital, Office,Community Mental Health Center, Psychiatric Facility-Partial Hospitalization, Inpatient Psychiatric Facility