Dual diagnosis can be a situation in which two independent disorders exist, and most often describes a co-occurring drug abuse and mental health disorder. A dual diagnosis may help someone who may not have been able to be helped during the past, stop substance abuse because they can be accurately diagnosed and treated. Their mental health disorder might have been misdiagnosed, undiagnosed, or treated incorrectly which may have prompted and resulted in their drug abuse problems. Establishing the truth that someone is in fact a dual diagnosis client not simply helps establish an effective course of treatment for them, but could also help clients better know what triggered their drug abuse and ways to prevent it down the road. Handling dual diagnosis can be a more extensive process when compared to a typical drug rehab program, and people with a dual diagnosis might be required to participate in a substantial aftercare program which may include appropriate medical support along with further treatment services. Being clinically determined to have co-occurring disorders doesn't mean that the person must be medicated through out their lives either, and actually a lot of people with a dual diagnosis experience far better outcomes when treated holistically and when alternative treatment solutions are employed.