Dual diagnosis is a circumstance in which two independent disorders are present, and most typically describes a co-occurring substance abuse and mental health disorder. A dual diagnosis may help someone that may possibly not have been able to be helped in the past, stop drug abuse because they can be accurately diagnosed and helped. Their mental health disorder could have been misdiagnosed, not diagnosed at all, or treated incorrectly that could have prompted and resulted in their drug or alcohol use issues. Establishing the reality that someone is in fact a dual diagnosis client not only helps establish a highly effective treatment plan for them, but may also help clients better know what led to their drug use and ways to prevent it in the foreseeable future. Handling dual diagnosis might be a more extensive process when compared to a typical drug rehab program, and folks with a dual diagnosis might need to participate in an extensive aftercare program that might include appropriate medical support along with continued rehabilitation services. Being diagnosed with co-occurring disorders doesn't signify the individual must be medicated through out their lives either, and in reality lots of people with a dual diagnosis experience more effective outcomes when treated holistically and when alternative treatment solutions are employed.