Dual diagnosis can be a circumstance whereby two independent disorders exist, and most often describes a co-occurring substance abuse and mental health disorder. A dual diagnosis will help someone that might not have been able to be helped before, stop drug or alcohol abuse by being accurately diagnosed and helped. Their mental health disorder could have been misdiagnosed, undiagnosed, or mistreated which may have prompted and led to their drug abuse issues. Establishing the reality that someone is certainly a dual diagnosis client not merely helps establish an efficient treatment plan for them, but could also help clients better know what led to their drug abuse and ways to prevent it down the road. Addressing dual diagnosis is often a more extensive process than a typical drug rehab program, and people who have a dual diagnosis might need to participate in a substantial aftercare program which might include proper medical support as well as further treatment 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 many people with a dual diagnosis experience much better outcomes when treated holistically and when alternative therapy is employed.