Dual diagnosis is a situation whereby two independent disorders are present, and most often denotes a co-occurring drug or alcohol use and mental health disorder. A dual diagnosis might help someone that may not have been capable of being helped previously, put an end to drug or alcohol abuse because they can be correctly diagnosed and treated. Their mental health disorder might have been misdiagnosed, not diagnosed at all, or mistreated that may have triggered and led to their substance abuse problems. Establishing the truth that someone is in fact a dual diagnosis client not simply helps establish an effective treatment plan for them, but may also help clients better determine what caused their drug abuse and ways to prevent it in the foreseeable future. Addressing dual diagnosis may be a more extensive process than the usual typical drug rehab program, and people who have a dual diagnosis might need to participate in an extensive aftercare program that might include appropriate medical support along with continued rehabilitation services. Being clinically determined to have co-occurring disorders doesn't mean that 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 more effective results when treated holistically and when alternative treatment methods are employed.