Dual diagnosis is a circumstance whereby two independent disorders are present, and most often denotes a co-occurring drug abuse and mental health disorder. A dual diagnosis will help someone who may not have been able to be helped previously, stop drug abuse because they can be properly diagnosed and helped. Their mental health disorder might have been misdiagnosed, not diagnosed at all, or mistreated which may have prompted and resulted in their substance abuse issues. Establishing the fact that someone is certainly a dual diagnosis client not only helps establish a highly effective treatment plan for them, but may also help clients better determine what triggered their drug abuse and how to prevent it in the foreseeable future. Handling dual diagnosis is often a more extensive process than a typical drug rehab program, and folks who have a dual diagnosis may need to take part in an extensive aftercare program which may include proper medical support along with continued rehab services. Being clinically determined to have co-occurring disorders doesn't imply the person must be medicated for the rest of their lives either, and actually many people who have a dual diagnosis experience much better outcomes when treated holistically and when alternative therapy is utilized.