Dual diagnosis can be a circumstance in which two independent disorders are present, and most often describes a co-occurring drug or alcohol use and mental health disorder. A dual diagnosis may help someone who might possibly not have been able to be helped in the past, end substance abuse because they can be properly diagnosed and treated. Their mental health disorder might have been misdiagnosed, not diagnosed at all, or mistreated that may have prompted and resulted in their drug abuse issues. Establishing the reality that someone is in fact a dual diagnosis client not just helps establish an effective treatment plan for them, but can also help clients better determine what triggered their drug use and how to prevent it down the road. Handling dual diagnosis may be a more extensive process than the usual typical drug rehab program, and people who have a dual diagnosis might be required to participate in an extensive aftercare program which might include appropriate medical support and also continued rehabilitation services. Being clinically determined to have co-occurring disorders doesn't imply that the individual will need to be medicated for the remainder of their lives either, and actually a lot of people with a dual diagnosis experience more effective outcomes when treated holistically and when alternative treatment methods are utilized.