Dual diagnosis is a circumstance whereby two independent disorders are present, and most typically describes a co-occurring substance abuse and mental health disorder. A dual diagnosis might help someone who might possibly not have been able to be helped in the past, stop substance abuse by being correctly diagnosed and helped. Their mental health disorder could have been misdiagnosed, undiagnosed, or treated incorrectly that may have prompted and resulted in their drug abuse issues. Establishing the truth that someone is in fact a dual diagnosis client not merely helps establish a highly effective treatment course for them, but will also help clients better know what led to their substance abuse and how to prevent it later on. Addressing dual diagnosis might be a more extensive process than a typical drug rehab program, and folks with a dual diagnosis might be required to participate in a substantial aftercare program that might include appropriate medical support and also further treatment services. Being identified as having co-occurring disorders doesn't mean that the individual will need to be medicated through out their lives either, and in fact many people with a dual diagnosis experience far better results when treated holistically and when alternative treatment methods are utilized.