Dual diagnosis is a circumstance whereby two independent disorders are present, and most often denotes a co-occurring drug abuse and mental health disorder. A dual diagnosis will help a person that may not have been capable of being helped in the past, end drug abuse by being properly diagnosed and treated. Their mental health disorder might have been misdiagnosed, undiagnosed, or mistreated that could have triggered and resulted in their drug abuse problems. Establishing the truth that someone is in fact a dual diagnosis client not just helps establish a highly effective treatment plan for them, but may also help clients better know what led to their substance abuse and the way to prevent it down the road. Addressing dual diagnosis is often a more extensive process than a typical drug rehab program, and people with a dual diagnosis may need to take part in a substantial aftercare program which might include proper medical support and also continued rehabilitation services. Being identified as having co-occurring disorders doesn't mean that the individual should be medicated through out their lives either, and in fact lots of people with a dual diagnosis experience more effective results when treated holistically and when alternative therapy is employed.