Dual diagnosis is a circumstance whereby two independent disorders are present, and most often describes a co-occurring substance abuse and mental health disorder. A dual diagnosis might help someone that might possibly not have been capable of being helped in the past, stop substance abuse because they can be accurately diagnosed and treated. Their mental health disorder could have been misdiagnosed, not diagnosed at all, or treated incorrectly which may have prompted and led to their drug or alcohol use issues. Establishing the fact that someone is actually a dual diagnosis client not only helps establish an efficient treatment plan for them, but will also help clients better understand what triggered their drug use and ways to prevent it in the foreseeable future. Handling dual diagnosis might be a more extensive process compared to a typical drug rehab program, and people who have a dual diagnosis might be required to participate in an extensive aftercare program which might include proper medical support along with further rehabilitation services. Being clinically determined to have co-occurring disorders doesn't signify the person will have to be medicated through out their lives either, and in reality many people with a dual diagnosis experience far better results when treated holistically and when alternative therapy is employed.