Dual diagnosis can be a circumstance in which two independent disorders are present, and most often describes a co-occurring substance abuse and mental health disorder. A dual diagnosis may help someone who may not have been capable of being helped during the past, finish substance abuse because they can be properly diagnosed and treated. Their mental health disorder might have been misdiagnosed, undiagnosed, or mistreated which could have prompted and led to their drug or alcohol use issues. Establishing the reality that someone is certainly a dual diagnosis client not simply helps establish an effective treatment plan for them, but will also help clients better know what caused their drug use and ways to prevent it in the future. Addressing dual diagnosis can be a more extensive process when compared to a typical drug rehab program, and individuals who have a dual diagnosis might need to participate in a substantial aftercare program which may include appropriate medical support as well as further treatment services. Being clinically determined to have co-occurring disorders doesn't mean that the individual will need to be medicated through out their lives either, and in fact many individuals who have a dual diagnosis experience much better results when treated holistically and when alternative treatment methods are employed.