Dual diagnosis is a circumstance whereby two independent disorders exist, and most often describes a co-occurring drug or alcohol use and mental health disorder. A dual diagnosis can help someone who may not have been capable of being helped during the past, stop substance abuse because they can be correctly diagnosed and helped. Their mental health disorder may have been misdiagnosed, not diagnosed at all, or mistreated which could have prompted and resulted in their substance abuse 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 determine what caused their drug abuse and ways to prevent it in the future. Handling dual diagnosis may be a more extensive process than a typical drug rehab program, and people who have a dual diagnosis may need to take part in an extensive aftercare program that might include appropriate medical support as well as continued rehab services. Being clinically determined to have co-occurring disorders doesn't imply that the person will have to be medicated for the rest of their lives either, and actually a lot of people who have a dual diagnosis experience much better results when treated holistically and when alternative treatment methods are employed.