Dual diagnosis is a situation in which two independent disorders are present, and most typically describes a co-occurring drug abuse and mental health disorder. A dual diagnosis can help a person that may not have been capable of being helped in the past, stop drug abuse by being properly diagnosed and treated. Their mental health disorder may have been misdiagnosed, undiagnosed, or mistreated that may have prompted and led to their substance abuse issues. Establishing the fact that someone is certainly a dual diagnosis client not merely helps establish an efficient treatment course for them, but may also help clients better understand what triggered their drug abuse and ways to prevent it down the road. Handling dual diagnosis might be a more extensive process than a typical drug rehab program, and people who have a dual diagnosis might need to participate in an extensive aftercare program which can include appropriate medical support and also continued rehab services. Being clinically determined to have co-occurring disorders doesn't imply that the person must be medicated for the rest of their lives either, and in reality many people with a dual diagnosis experience more effective outcomes when treated holistically and when alternative treatment solutions are employed.