Dual diagnosis is a situation in which two independent disorders exist, and most often describes a co-occurring drug abuse and mental health disorder. A dual diagnosis will help someone who may not have been capable of being helped before, end drug or alcohol abuse by being correctly diagnosed and treated. Their mental health disorder might have been misdiagnosed, not diagnosed at all, or mistreated that could have prompted and resulted in their substance abuse problems. Establishing the fact that someone is certainly a dual diagnosis client not simply helps establish a highly effective course of treatment for them, but could also help clients better determine what caused their substance abuse and ways to prevent it later on. Addressing dual diagnosis may be a more extensive process when compared to a typical drug rehab program, and individuals who have a dual diagnosis might be required to participate in a substantial aftercare program that might include appropriate medical support in addition to continued treatment services. Being identified as having co-occurring disorders doesn't mean that the individual will need to be medicated through out their lives either, and in reality a lot of people with a dual diagnosis experience more effective results when treated holistically and when alternative therapy is utilized.