Dual diagnosis can be a circumstance whereby two independent disorders exist, and most often describes a co-occurring drug abuse and mental health disorder. A dual diagnosis might help a person that may not have been able to be helped in the past, finish drug or alcohol abuse by being properly diagnosed and helped. Their mental health disorder could have been misdiagnosed, not diagnosed at all, or treated incorrectly that may have prompted and resulted in their drug abuse problems. Establishing the reality that someone is in fact a dual diagnosis client not just helps establish an efficient treatment course for them, but can also help clients better know what led to their drug abuse and how to prevent it down the road. Addressing dual diagnosis is often a more extensive process than the usual typical drug rehab program, and people with a dual diagnosis might need to participate in a substantial aftercare program which may include proper medical support along with further rehab services. Being clinically determined to have co-occurring disorders doesn't signify the individual must be medicated through out their lives either, and in reality a lot of people who have a dual diagnosis experience much better outcomes when treated holistically and when alternative treatment methods are employed.