Dual diagnosis is a situation in which two independent disorders are present, and most often describes a co-occurring drug abuse and mental health disorder. A dual diagnosis might help a person that may not have been capable of being helped before, end substance abuse by being properly diagnosed and helped. Their mental health disorder might have been misdiagnosed, undiagnosed, or mistreated which may have prompted and led to their substance abuse problems. Establishing the truth that someone is actually a dual diagnosis client not only helps establish a highly effective treatment course for them, but may also help clients better understand what triggered their drug use and how to prevent it in the foreseeable future. Addressing dual diagnosis can be a more extensive process than a typical drug rehab program, and individuals who have a dual diagnosis may need to participate in an extensive aftercare program that might include appropriate medical support as well as continued treatment services. Being clinically determined to have co-occurring disorders doesn't mean that the individual will have to be medicated for the remainder of their lives either, and in reality many people with a dual diagnosis experience far better results when treated holistically and when alternative treatment methods are employed.