Dual diagnosis can be a situation in which two independent disorders are present, and most typically denotes a co-occurring drug abuse and mental health disorder. A dual diagnosis may help someone that may not have been able to be helped during the past, finish substance abuse by being correctly diagnosed and treated. Their mental health disorder might have been misdiagnosed, not diagnosed at all, or mistreated which may have triggered and led to their substance abuse problems. Establishing the truth that someone is in fact a dual diagnosis client not just helps establish an effective course of treatment for them, but can also help clients better determine what caused their drug abuse and ways to prevent it in the foreseeable future. Addressing dual diagnosis can be a more extensive process than the usual typical drug rehab program, and people who have a dual diagnosis might need to take part in a substantial aftercare program that might include appropriate medical support as well as continued rehab services. Being clinically determined to have co-occurring disorders doesn't signify the individual will need to be medicated through out their lives either, and in fact lots of people who have a dual diagnosis experience more effective outcomes when treated holistically and when alternative treatment solutions are employed.