Dual diagnosis is a situation whereby two independent disorders exist, and most often denotes a co-occurring drug abuse and mental health disorder. A dual diagnosis can help an individual who may possibly not have been able to be helped before, stop substance abuse by being accurately diagnosed and treated. Their mental health disorder could have been misdiagnosed, not diagnosed at all, or treated incorrectly which may have prompted and led to their drug abuse issues. Establishing the fact that someone is certainly a dual diagnosis client not simply helps establish an effective treatment plan for them, but could also help clients better understand what led to their substance abuse and how to prevent it later on. Handling dual diagnosis can be a more extensive process than a typical drug rehab program, and folks with a dual diagnosis may need to participate in an extensive aftercare program which may include proper medical support in addition to further treatment services. Being clinically determined to have co-occurring disorders doesn't imply the individual will have to be medicated through out their lives either, and actually a lot of people who have a dual diagnosis experience far better results when treated holistically and when alternative treatment methods are utilized.