Dual diagnosis can be a situation in which two independent disorders exist, and most often describes a co-occurring substance abuse and mental health disorder. A dual diagnosis may help someone that may not have been able to be helped during the past, finish substance abuse because they can be accurately diagnosed and treated. Their mental health disorder may have been misdiagnosed, not diagnosed at all, or mistreated which may have prompted and led to their drug or alcohol use issues. Establishing the reality that someone is certainly a dual diagnosis client not only helps establish an effective course of treatment for them, but may also help clients better understand what triggered their drug use and ways to prevent it in the future. Handling dual diagnosis may be a more extensive process than a typical drug rehab program, and individuals who have a dual diagnosis might need to take part in an extensive aftercare program that might include proper medical support in addition to continued rehab services. Being clinically determined to have co-occurring disorders doesn't imply the individual must be medicated through out their lives either, and actually lots of people who have a dual diagnosis experience more effective outcomes when treated holistically and when alternative therapy is utilized.