When it comes to mental health and mental illness many variables exist that need to be considered during the assessment, diagnosis, and intervention phases.  The complexities which exist in a person's life, whether adult or child, can provide the mental health professional with ideas as to the source or cause of problems that suggest (or contraindicate) treatment.  Without an interpretation of the variables, the many aspects of life, a diagnosis would likely be incomplete, or worse yet, inaccurate.  The clinical picture must reflect the whole person. 

   The things that people think, do and say, can be interpreted as "symptoms" of a mental illness. Some mental health professionals look at most issues in life as symptoms of illness, but this view does not always consider all of the pieces of the whole person. 
   Whether you are an adult or a child, PIE matters.  The whole environment (mental, emotional, physical, spiritual, current, and past) should be viewed by an expert who understands how these complex systems operate separately and together.