Dual diagnosis is a situation whereby two independent disorders are present, and most typically describes a co-occurring substance abuse and mental health disorder. A dual diagnosis will help someone who may possibly not have been capable of being helped during the past, stop drug abuse by being properly diagnosed and treated. Their mental health disorder could have been misdiagnosed, not diagnosed at all, or treated incorrectly that could have triggered and led to their drug abuse issues. Establishing the fact that someone is in fact a dual diagnosis client not just helps establish a highly effective course of treatment for them, but may also help clients better understand what caused their drug use and ways to prevent it in the foreseeable future. Handling dual diagnosis is often a more extensive process than the usual typical drug rehab program, and people with a dual diagnosis might be required to participate in an extensive aftercare program that might include appropriate medical support along with further treatment services. Being identified as having co-occurring disorders doesn't mean that the person must be medicated through out their lives either, and actually lots of people who have a dual diagnosis experience much better results when treated holistically and when alternative treatment methods are utilized.