Dual diagnosis is a circumstance whereby two independent disorders are present, and most often describes a co-occurring drug or alcohol use and mental health disorder. A dual diagnosis will help someone that may possibly not have been able to be helped previously, finish substance abuse by being accurately diagnosed and helped. Their mental health disorder may have been misdiagnosed, not diagnosed at all, or treated incorrectly that may have triggered and resulted in their drug or alcohol use problems. Establishing the fact that someone is actually a dual diagnosis client not just helps establish an efficient treatment course for them, but could also help clients better determine what caused their drug abuse and how to prevent it down the road. Handling dual diagnosis might be a more extensive process compared to a typical drug rehab program, and people with a dual diagnosis may need to participate in an extensive aftercare program which may include appropriate medical support in addition to continued rehabilitation services. Being clinically determined to have co-occurring disorders doesn't imply that the person will have to be medicated for the rest of their lives either, and in fact a lot of people with a dual diagnosis experience much better outcomes when treated holistically and when alternative treatment solutions are employed.