At what age should enuresis be considered a disorder?

Nonorganic enuresis (F98.0) should not be diagnosed before age 5 (or equivalent mental age). Nocturnal enuresis is very common in young children and spontaneous resolution rates are high (approximately 15% per year).

All diagnostic codes

F95Tic Disorders (Tourette Disorder)

F98Childhood & Adolescent Disorders

Other Behavioural and Emotional Disorders with Onset in Childhood (F98)

DSM-5-TR: Other Specified / Unspecified Neurodevelopmental or Behavioural Disorder

ICD-10-AM and DSM-5-TR may classify conditions differently. Refer to APA and WHO for complete diagnostic criteria.

Key Facts

ICD-10 Range

F90-F98

Subcodes

9 subcodes

Australian Prevalence

Enuresis affects approximately 15-20% of 5-year-olds and 1-2% of adults. Stuttering affects approximately 1% of the Australian population.

Global Prevalence

Enuresis prevalence varies widely by age and definition. Stuttering affects approximately 1% of the world population.

Duration Requirement

Variable depending on specific condition

Overview

A heterogeneous group of disorders that share the characteristic of onset usually during childhood and infancy, but differ considerably in many other respects. Some represent well-defined syndromes, while others are no more than symptom complexes requiring inclusion because of their frequency and association with psychosocial problems.

Diagnostic Criteria (ICD-10)

Core Features

Heterogeneous group of disorders sharing onset in childhood
Conditions differ considerably in their nature
Some represent well-defined syndromes; others are no more than symptom complexes

Duration

Variable depending on specific condition

Exclusion Criteria

Conditions better classified under F90-F95

ICD-10-AM Subcodes

Code	Name	Description
F98.0	Nonorganic enuresis	Involuntary voiding of urine, by day and/or by night, abnormal in relation to the child's mental age, not due to a physical condition.
F98.1	Nonorganic encopresis	Repeated voluntary or involuntary passage of faeces in inappropriate places, not due to organic conditions.
F98.2	Feeding disorder of infancy and childhood	Feeding disorder of varying manifestations, usually specific to infancy and early childhood.
F98.3	Pica of infancy and childhood	Persistent eating of non-nutritive substances (soil, paint chips, etc.).
F98.4	Stereotyped movement disorders	Voluntary, repetitive, stereotyped, nonfunctional movements (body rocking, head banging, hair pulling, self-biting).
F98.5	Stuttering (stammering)	Speech characterised by frequent repetition or prolongation of sounds, syllables, or words, or frequent hesitations or pauses.
F98.6	Cluttering	Rapid rate of speech with breakdown in fluency but no repetitions or hesitations, resulting in diminished speech intelligibility.
F98.8	Other specified behavioural and emotional disorders	Other specified conditions including attention deficit without hyperactivity, excessive masturbation, nail-biting, nose-picking, and thumb-sucking.
F98.9	Unspecified behavioural and emotional disorders with onset in childhood	Unspecified behavioural or emotional disorder with onset in childhood.

F98.0—Involuntary voiding of urine, by day and/or by night, abnormal in relation to the child's mental age, not due to a physical condition.

F98.1—Repeated voluntary or involuntary passage of faeces in inappropriate places, not due to organic conditions.

F98.2—Feeding disorder of varying manifestations, usually specific to infancy and early childhood.

F98.3—Persistent eating of non-nutritive substances (soil, paint chips, etc.).

F98.4—Voluntary, repetitive, stereotyped, nonfunctional movements (body rocking, head banging, hair pulling, self-biting).

F98.5—Speech characterised by frequent repetition or prolongation of sounds, syllables, or words, or frequent hesitations or pauses.

F98.6—Rapid rate of speech with breakdown in fluency but no repetitions or hesitations, resulting in diminished speech intelligibility.

F98.8—Other specified conditions including attention deficit without hyperactivity, excessive masturbation, nail-biting, nose-picking, and thumb-sucking.

F98.9—Unspecified behavioural or emotional disorder with onset in childhood.

Classification Boundaries

Includes

Nonorganic enuresis
Nonorganic encopresis
Feeding disorder of infancy and childhood
Pica of infancy and childhood
Stereotyped movement disorders
Stuttering
Cluttering

Excludes1 (coded elsewhere)

Breath-holding spells (R06.8)
Nail-biting (F98.8 — included here)
Tic disorders (F95)

Australian Clinical Context

These conditions are managed by a variety of professionals in Australia including paediatricians, child psychologists, speech pathologists, and continence nurses. Bell-and-pad alarm therapy is the recommended first-line treatment for enuresis in Australian practice.

Medicare (MBS) Pathways

Better Access to Mental Health Care

The primary Medicare pathway for mental health treatment in Australia. Requires a GP Mental Health Treatment Plan (MHTP) referral. Available for any clinically diagnosed mental disorder.

10 individual + 10 group sessions per calendar year

Provider Type	MBS Items	Session Type
Clinical Psychologist	80000–80025	Psychological therapy (higher rebate)
Registered Psychologist	80100–80123	Focused psychological strategies
Occupational Therapist	80125–80145	Focused psychological strategies
Social Worker	80150–80175	Focused psychological strategies
Psychiatrist	291, 296–299, 300–308	Psychiatric consultation

Clinical Psychologist

80000–80025Psychological therapy (higher rebate)

Registered Psychologist

80100–80123Focused psychological strategies

Occupational Therapist

80125–80145Focused psychological strategies

Social Worker

80150–80175Focused psychological strategies

Psychiatrist

291, 296–299, 300–308Psychiatric consultation

GP referral items: 2700, 2701, 2715, 2717

Eligibility: Any clinically diagnosed mental disorder as defined by WHO ICD-10 Chapter V. Requires a GP or psychiatrist referral.

Exclusions:

Intellectual disability (use Complex Neurodevelopmental Disorder pathway or specialist referral)
Dementia and organic mental disorders (use specialist referral pathway)
Tobacco use disorder

Automate MBS item capture from your sessions

Grounded Scribe suggests the right MBS item codes from your recording so you can claim accurately without re-keying.

Reference information sourced from MBS Online (mbsonline.gov.au). Item availability, rebates, and eligibility criteria may change. This is not billing advice — always verify current items before claiming. Last verified: April 2026.

Clinical Documentation Notes

F98.5 (Stuttering) maps to Childhood-Onset Fluency Disorder in DSM-5-TR. F98.4 (Stereotyped movement disorders) maps to Stereotypic Movement Disorder. Enuresis assessment should exclude organic causes (UTI, diabetes, neurological conditions).

Related Diagnostic Codes

ICD-10-AM diagnostic codes commonly associated with the Other Behavioural and Emotional Disorders with Onset in Childhood (F98).

F90

Childhood & Adolescent Disorders

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

View reference

F95

Childhood & Adolescent Disorders

Tic Disorders (Tourette Disorder)

View reference

Frequently Asked Questions

References

World Health Organization. ICD-10-AM.
American Psychiatric Association. DSM-5-TR. 2022.

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