Dual diagnosis is a situation in which two independent disorders are present, and most typically describes a co-occurring drug abuse and mental health disorder. A dual diagnosis will help someone that might not have been capable of being helped before, stop drug abuse because they can be properly diagnosed and treated. Their mental health disorder could have been misdiagnosed, not diagnosed at all, or treated incorrectly which could have triggered and resulted in their drug or alcohol use issues. Establishing the reality that someone is actually a dual diagnosis client not just helps establish an effective treatment plan for them, but may also help clients better understand 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 who have a dual diagnosis might be required to take part in a substantial aftercare program which might include proper medical support as well as continued rehabilitation services. Being clinically determined to have co-occurring disorders doesn't imply that the person will have to be medicated through out their lives either, and in fact lots of people with a dual diagnosis experience far better outcomes when treated holistically and when alternative therapy is utilized.