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 may help an individual who might possibly not have been able to be helped previously, stop drug or alcohol abuse because they can be correctly diagnosed and treated. Their mental health disorder might have been misdiagnosed, not diagnosed at all, or treated incorrectly which may have triggered and resulted in their drug or alcohol use issues. Establishing the fact someone is in fact a dual diagnosis client not simply helps establish an effective treatment plan for them, but may also help clients better understand what led to their drug use and ways to prevent it in the foreseeable future. Handling dual diagnosis can be a more extensive process compared to a typical drug rehab program, and folks with a dual diagnosis might need to participate in a substantial aftercare program which may include appropriate medical support in addition to further rehabilitation services. Being clinically determined to have co-occurring disorders doesn't imply that the person must be medicated for the rest of their lives either, and in fact a lot of people who have a dual diagnosis experience far better outcomes when treated holistically and when alternative therapy is employed.