Dual diagnosis is a circumstance in which two independent disorders exist, and most often denotes a co-occurring drug abuse and mental health disorder. A dual diagnosis can help someone that may possibly not have been capable of being helped previously, stop drug or alcohol abuse by being accurately diagnosed and helped. Their mental health disorder may have been misdiagnosed, undiagnosed, or mistreated that may have prompted and led to their substance abuse issues. Establishing the truth that someone is in fact a dual diagnosis client not merely helps establish an effective treatment course for them, but will also help clients better determine what triggered their substance abuse and ways to prevent it down the road. Addressing dual diagnosis can be a more extensive process than a typical drug rehab program, and folks with a dual diagnosis might be required to participate in an extensive aftercare program which might include appropriate medical support in addition to continued treatment services. Being clinically determined to have co-occurring disorders doesn't mean that the individual must be medicated for the remainder of their lives either, and in reality a lot of people who have a dual diagnosis experience far better results when treated holistically and when alternative therapy is employed.