Dual diagnosis is a circumstance whereby two independent disorders exist, and most typically denotes a co-occurring substance abuse and mental health disorder. A dual diagnosis might help someone who might not have been capable of being helped before, finish substance abuse by being properly diagnosed and treated. Their mental health disorder may have been misdiagnosed, not diagnosed at all, or treated incorrectly that could have triggered and resulted in their drug abuse issues. Establishing the reality that someone is certainly a dual diagnosis client not just helps establish an effective course of treatment for them, but can also help clients better understand what led to their drug use and ways to prevent it in the foreseeable future. Addressing dual diagnosis is often a more extensive process compared to a typical drug rehab program, and people who have a dual diagnosis might be required to participate in an extensive aftercare program which might include proper medical support in addition to continued rehab services. Being identified as having co-occurring disorders doesn't imply that the person must be medicated for the rest of their lives either, and in fact a lot of people who have a dual diagnosis experience more effective outcomes when treated holistically and when alternative treatment methods are employed.