Dual diagnosis can be a circumstance whereby two independent disorders are present, and most often describes a co-occurring drug abuse and mental health disorder. A dual diagnosis might help someone that might possibly not have been capable of being helped in the past, finish drug abuse because they can be accurately diagnosed and treated. Their mental health disorder might have been misdiagnosed, undiagnosed, or mistreated that could have prompted and led to their substance abuse problems. Establishing the truth that someone is in fact a dual diagnosis client not merely helps establish an effective treatment course for them, but may also help clients better determine what triggered their drug abuse and ways to prevent it in the future. Addressing dual diagnosis can be a more extensive process when compared to a typical drug rehab program, and folks with a dual diagnosis might need to participate in a substantial aftercare program which can include proper medical support as well as further rehabilitation services. Being diagnosed with co-occurring disorders doesn't mean that the individual will have to be medicated through out their lives either, and in fact a lot of people who have a dual diagnosis experience much better outcomes when treated holistically and when alternative treatment methods are utilized.