A mental health diagnosis is just a label but doesn't really explain all of the biological, psychological, social, and cultural factors which contribute to the suffering described as a "mental illness." In this New York Times column (https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/15/opinion/preventing-mental-illness.html), author Lisa Pryor writes "when something is wrong we would do well to ask not just, 'What is my diagnosis?' but instead, 'What is my formulation?'" A case formulation reframes the diagnostic label as a story that explains the unique "predisposing, precipitating, perpetuating and protective factors" and points to what kind of treatment can be helpful to alleviate the suffering.