Dual diagnosis is a circumstance whereby two independent disorders exist, and most typically describes a co-occurring drug or alcohol use and mental health disorder. A dual diagnosis may help a person that may not have been able to be helped in the past, finish drug or alcohol abuse by being properly diagnosed and helped. Their mental health disorder could have been misdiagnosed, undiagnosed, or treated incorrectly which may have prompted and led to their drug abuse issues. Establishing the reality that someone is actually a dual diagnosis client not simply helps establish an effective treatment course for them, but will also help clients better determine what caused their drug abuse and ways to prevent it in the future. Addressing dual diagnosis is often 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 might include proper medical support in addition to continued rehab services. Being clinically determined to have co-occurring disorders doesn't imply that the individual will need to be medicated for the rest of their lives either, and in reality many people who have a dual diagnosis experience more effective outcomes when treated holistically and when alternative therapy is utilized.