Dual diagnosis is a circumstance in which two independent disorders exist, and most typically denotes a co-occurring drug abuse and mental health disorder. A dual diagnosis can help someone that may not have been capable of being helped previously, end drug abuse because they can be correctly diagnosed and treated. Their mental health disorder could have been misdiagnosed, not diagnosed at all, or treated incorrectly that may have triggered and led to their substance abuse problems. Establishing the fact that someone is in fact a dual diagnosis client not merely helps establish a highly effective treatment plan for them, but will also help clients better know what triggered their drug abuse and ways to prevent it in the foreseeable future. Handling dual diagnosis might be a more extensive process than a typical drug rehab program, and people who have a dual diagnosis may need to take part in an extensive aftercare program which might include proper medical support in addition to continued treatment services. Being identified as having co-occurring disorders doesn't mean that the individual must be medicated through out their lives either, and in fact lots of people who have a dual diagnosis experience much better outcomes when treated holistically and when alternative treatment methods are utilized.