Dual diagnosis is a circumstance whereby two independent disorders are present, and most typically describes a co-occurring drug abuse and mental health disorder. A dual diagnosis might help an individual who might not have been able to be helped before, end substance abuse because they can be properly diagnosed and treated. Their mental health disorder could have been misdiagnosed, not diagnosed at all, or mistreated that could have prompted and resulted in their drug abuse issues. Establishing the truth that someone is in fact a dual diagnosis client not only helps establish an efficient treatment course for them, but can also help clients better know what caused their drug abuse and ways to prevent it in the future. Handling dual diagnosis can be a more extensive process than a typical drug rehab program, and folks who have a dual diagnosis might need to take part in an extensive aftercare program that might include proper medical support as well as further treatment services. Being identified as having co-occurring disorders doesn't imply the individual will need to be medicated through out their lives either, and in fact a lot of people who have a dual diagnosis experience much better outcomes when treated holistically and when alternative treatment solutions are employed.