My theoretical analysis of abnormal behavior would be that of a clinician doing an assessment of the patient. An assessment is where the clinician would ask the patient questions pertaining to what may have caused them to come see them or be admitted into a hospital or facility.

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             Diagnosis of a Patient.

             An evaluation is done by either a doctor or mental health professional. The health care professional will ask questions about the patient's symptoms, and collect any medical background information (history). A physician may perform a physical examination on the patient and if no physical illnesses are found, the physician may refer the patient to a psychiatrist or therapist for further evaluation. Since there is no lab work that can prove there is mental illness, a series of different psychological tests and evaluations are given in order to determine if the patient has a mental illness. .

             Psychologists and psychiatrists sometimes use tools that are designed to evaluate a patient .

             in checking for a mental illness. The physician will then use his or her report to help determine the correct illness - paranoid schizophrenia, depression, alcohol or drug abuse, etc. .

             A psychologist and other clinical professions work together with patients in making sure that if one professional misses something, the other will pick up on it and report their findings to the others responsible for helping the patient. .

             Advantages and Disadvantages to Psychiatric Diagnosis and Labeling.

             The advantages of diagnosing someone with a mental illness are being able to rule out what type of illness a patient has and working with the patient to help them live as normally as possible. Another advantage is that a physician can prescribe medication and encourage ongoing therapy. A disadvantage could be when a patient is misdiagnosed or when a patient is able to mislead the physician(s) in order to avoid doing jail time or other legal/moral obligation.