Dual diagnosis is a situation in which two independent disorders exist, and most often denotes a co-occurring drug or alcohol use and mental health disorder. A dual diagnosis will help someone that may not have been capable of being helped before, stop drug or alcohol abuse by being correctly diagnosed and helped. Their mental health disorder may have been misdiagnosed, not diagnosed at all, or treated incorrectly that could have prompted and resulted in their substance abuse issues. Establishing the fact that someone is actually a dual diagnosis client not simply helps establish an effective treatment course for them, but may also help clients better know what triggered their substance abuse and the way to prevent it down the road. Handling dual diagnosis can be a more extensive process than the usual typical drug rehab program, and individuals with a dual diagnosis might need to participate 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 person should be medicated through out their lives either, and in reality many individuals with a dual diagnosis experience much better results when treated holistically and when alternative therapy is employed.