Dual diagnosis is a circumstance whereby two independent disorders exist, and most often denotes a co-occurring drug abuse and mental health disorder. A dual diagnosis may help someone who might not have been capable of being helped in the past, end drug or alcohol abuse because they can be accurately diagnosed and helped. Their mental health disorder may have been misdiagnosed, not diagnosed at all, or mistreated which could have triggered and resulted in their drug or alcohol use problems. Establishing the fact that someone is in fact a dual diagnosis client not simply helps establish an efficient treatment plan for them, but can also help clients better determine what led to their substance abuse and ways to prevent it in the future. Addressing dual diagnosis may be a more extensive process compared to a typical drug rehab program, and folks with a dual diagnosis might need to take part in an extensive aftercare program which might include appropriate medical support as well as further rehabilitation services. Being clinically determined to have co-occurring disorders doesn't mean that the person will need to be medicated through out their lives either, and in fact a lot of people who have a dual diagnosis experience more effective outcomes when treated holistically and when alternative treatment methods are utilized.