Dual diagnosis is a situation whereby two independent disorders are present, and most typically denotes a co-occurring drug abuse and mental health disorder. A dual diagnosis might help a person that might not have been capable of being helped before, stop drug or alcohol abuse by being accurately diagnosed and treated. Their mental health disorder could have been misdiagnosed, undiagnosed, or mistreated which could have prompted and resulted in their substance abuse problems. Establishing the fact that someone is actually a dual diagnosis client not simply helps establish an effective course of treatment for them, but could also help clients better determine what led to their drug use and ways to prevent it later on. Handling dual diagnosis might be a more extensive process than a typical drug rehab program, and people with a dual diagnosis may need to participate in an extensive aftercare program which can include appropriate medical support in addition to continued rehabilitation services. Being clinically determined to have co-occurring disorders doesn't mean that the person will have to be medicated for the remainder of their lives either, and in reality many individuals who have a dual diagnosis experience much better results when treated holistically and when alternative treatment methods are employed.