Dual diagnosis can be a circumstance in which two independent disorders are present, and most typically describes a co-occurring drug or alcohol use and mental health disorder. A dual diagnosis can help someone who may not have been capable of being helped during the past, stop drug abuse by being correctly diagnosed and treated. Their mental health disorder could have been misdiagnosed, undiagnosed, or mistreated which could have prompted and led to their drug or alcohol use issues. Establishing the reality that someone is in fact a dual diagnosis client not just helps establish a highly effective treatment course for them, but can also help clients better determine what led to their drug abuse and ways to prevent it in the foreseeable future. Addressing dual diagnosis is often a more extensive process compared to a typical drug rehab program, and people who have a dual diagnosis might be required to participate in an extensive aftercare program which can include proper medical support as well as further rehab services. Being identified as having co-occurring disorders doesn't imply the individual will need to be medicated for the rest of their lives either, and in fact many individuals with a dual diagnosis experience far better results when treated holistically and when alternative therapy is employed.