Dual diagnosis can be a situation in which two independent disorders exist, and most often describes a co-occurring substance abuse and mental health disorder. A dual diagnosis might help someone who might not have been capable of being helped in the past, stop substance abuse because they can be accurately diagnosed and helped. Their mental health disorder might have been misdiagnosed, undiagnosed, or mistreated which may have prompted and led to their drug or alcohol use problems. Establishing the fact someone is in fact a dual diagnosis client not just helps establish a highly effective treatment course for them, but could also help clients better understand what led to their drug abuse and ways to prevent it down the road. Addressing dual diagnosis can be a more extensive process compared to a typical drug rehab program, and people who have a dual diagnosis may need to take part in a substantial aftercare program that might include proper medical support in addition to continued rehab services. Being clinically determined to have co-occurring disorders doesn't mean that the person will have to be medicated for the remainder of their lives either, and in reality a lot of people with a dual diagnosis experience much better results when treated holistically and when alternative treatment methods are utilized.