Dual diagnosis can be a situation whereby two independent disorders exist, and most often denotes a co-occurring substance abuse and mental health disorder. A dual diagnosis might help a person that might not have been able to be helped during the past, end substance abuse by being properly diagnosed and treated. Their mental health disorder might have been misdiagnosed, not diagnosed at all, or mistreated which could have prompted and resulted in their drug or alcohol use problems. Establishing the fact someone is in fact a dual diagnosis client not merely helps establish an effective treatment plan for them, but could also help clients better know what led to their drug abuse and ways to prevent it in the foreseeable future. Addressing dual diagnosis can be a more extensive process than the usual typical drug rehab program, and folks who have a dual diagnosis might be required to take part in an extensive aftercare program which may include appropriate medical support and also further rehabilitation services. Being clinically determined to have co-occurring disorders doesn't imply that the person will have to be medicated through out their lives either, and actually lots of people who have a dual diagnosis experience more effective outcomes when treated holistically and when alternative therapy is employed.