Dual diagnosis can be a circumstance whereby two independent disorders exist, and most typically denotes a co-occurring substance abuse and mental health disorder. A dual diagnosis can help someone who may not have been capable of being helped previously, stop substance abuse because they can be accurately diagnosed and treated. Their mental health disorder may have been misdiagnosed, not diagnosed at all, or treated incorrectly which may have triggered and resulted in their drug abuse problems. Establishing the fact someone is certainly a dual diagnosis client not only helps establish an effective treatment plan for them, but could also help clients better understand what caused their drug use and how to prevent it later on. Addressing dual diagnosis can be a more extensive process compared to a typical drug rehab program, and folks with a dual diagnosis may need to participate in an extensive aftercare program that might include proper medical support and also further treatment services. Being identified as having co-occurring disorders doesn't mean that the individual must be medicated through out their lives either, and in reality many people with a dual diagnosis experience much better results when treated holistically and when alternative treatment solutions are employed.