Dual diagnosis can be a situation in which two independent disorders exist, and most often describes a co-occurring drug or alcohol use and mental health disorder. A dual diagnosis may help an individual who might possibly not have been able to be helped during the past, end drug or alcohol abuse because they can be properly diagnosed and treated. 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 problems. Establishing the fact that someone is in fact a dual diagnosis client not simply helps establish an efficient treatment course for them, but may also help clients better understand what triggered their substance abuse and ways to prevent it in the foreseeable future. Handling dual diagnosis is often a more extensive process than a typical drug rehab program, and people with a dual diagnosis might be required to participate in a substantial aftercare program which might include appropriate medical support in addition to further rehab services. Being clinically determined to have co-occurring disorders doesn't imply that the individual will need to be medicated for the rest of their lives either, and in fact a lot of people who have a dual diagnosis experience far better results when treated holistically and when alternative therapy is employed.