Dual diagnosis is a circumstance whereby two independent disorders exist, and most typically denotes a co-occurring drug abuse and mental health disorder. A dual diagnosis may help someone that might not have been capable of being helped in 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 triggered and led to their substance abuse problems. Establishing the fact that someone is actually a dual diagnosis client not simply helps establish an efficient course of treatment for them, but will also help clients better determine what led to their drug use and ways to prevent it in the foreseeable future. Handling dual diagnosis may be a more extensive process when compared to a typical drug rehab program, and people with a dual diagnosis might be required to participate in a substantial aftercare program that might include proper medical support as well as further rehab services. Being identified as having co-occurring disorders doesn't imply the person will have to be medicated for the rest of their lives either, and actually lots of people who have a dual diagnosis experience more effective results when treated holistically and when alternative treatment solutions are utilized.