Dual diagnosis is a circumstance whereby two independent disorders exist, and most often denotes a co-occurring drug abuse and mental health disorder. A dual diagnosis can help someone who may possibly not have been capable of being helped during the past, finish drug or alcohol abuse because they can be correctly diagnosed and treated. Their mental health disorder could have been misdiagnosed, not diagnosed at all, or treated incorrectly which may have triggered and led to their drug abuse issues. Establishing the reality that someone is in fact a dual diagnosis client not only helps establish a highly effective treatment plan for them, but may also help clients better understand what led to their drug use and ways to prevent it in the foreseeable future. Addressing dual diagnosis can be a more extensive process when compared to a typical drug rehab program, and people who have a dual diagnosis may need to take part in a substantial aftercare program that might include proper medical support as well as further rehabilitation services. Being identified as having co-occurring disorders doesn't mean that the individual will need to be medicated for the rest of their lives either, and actually lots of people with a dual diagnosis experience much better outcomes when treated holistically and when alternative therapy is employed.