Dual diagnosis is a situation in which two independent disorders are present, and most typically denotes a co-occurring drug abuse and mental health disorder. A dual diagnosis might help an individual who may not have been capable of being helped during the past, end drug abuse because they can be correctly diagnosed and helped. Their mental health disorder might have been misdiagnosed, undiagnosed, or mistreated which may have prompted and led to their substance abuse problems. Establishing the reality that someone is in fact a dual diagnosis client not simply helps establish an effective course of treatment for them, but will also help clients better understand what caused their drug abuse and ways to prevent it in the foreseeable future. Addressing dual diagnosis may be a more extensive process when compared to a typical drug rehab program, and individuals with a dual diagnosis might need to participate in an extensive aftercare program which can include proper medical support as well as further rehabilitation services. Being identified as having co-occurring disorders doesn't imply that the person must be medicated through out their lives either, and in reality lots of people with a dual diagnosis experience more effective outcomes when treated holistically and when alternative therapy is employed.