Dual diagnosis is a circumstance whereby two independent disorders exist, and most often denotes a co-occurring drug abuse and mental health disorder. A dual diagnosis might help someone who might possibly not have been capable of being helped in the past, put an end to drug or alcohol abuse because they can be properly diagnosed and treated. Their mental health disorder may have been misdiagnosed, not diagnosed at all, or mistreated which could have prompted and led to their substance abuse issues. Establishing the reality that someone is in fact a dual diagnosis client not only helps establish an efficient course of treatment for them, but could also help clients better determine what caused their drug use and ways to prevent it in the foreseeable future. Addressing dual diagnosis can be a more extensive process than the usual typical drug rehab program, and folks who have a dual diagnosis may need to take part in an extensive aftercare program which can include appropriate medical support in addition to further treatment services. Being diagnosed with co-occurring disorders doesn't mean that the individual should be medicated through out their lives either, and in fact a lot of people who have a dual diagnosis experience far better results when treated holistically and when alternative therapy is employed.