Dual diagnosis can be a situation in which two independent disorders are present, and most often describes a co-occurring substance abuse and mental health disorder. A dual diagnosis might help an individual who may possibly not have been able to be helped in the past, finish substance abuse because they can be properly diagnosed and treated. Their mental health disorder might have been misdiagnosed, undiagnosed, or treated incorrectly that may have triggered and led to their drug or alcohol use problems. Establishing the reality that someone is in fact a dual diagnosis client not just helps establish a highly effective course of treatment for them, but will also help clients better know what triggered their substance abuse and ways to prevent it in the future. Handling dual diagnosis might be a more extensive process than a typical drug rehab program, and folks with a dual diagnosis might need to participate in an extensive aftercare program that might include proper medical support in addition to further rehabilitation services. Being clinically determined to have co-occurring disorders doesn't mean that the individual will have to be medicated through out their lives either, and actually a lot of people who have a dual diagnosis experience much better outcomes when treated holistically and when alternative treatment solutions are utilized.