Dual diagnosis can be a situation whereby two independent disorders exist, and most often describes a co-occurring drug or alcohol use and mental health disorder. A dual diagnosis can help someone who may not have been able to be helped during the past, stop drug or alcohol abuse by being accurately diagnosed and treated. Their mental health disorder may have been misdiagnosed, not diagnosed at all, or treated incorrectly that may have triggered and resulted in their substance abuse issues. Establishing the reality that someone is certainly a dual diagnosis client not simply helps establish an efficient course of treatment for them, but could also help clients better understand what caused their drug abuse and the way to prevent it in the foreseeable future. Addressing dual diagnosis is often a more extensive process than a typical drug rehab program, and people with a dual diagnosis may need to participate in a substantial aftercare program that might include proper medical support as well as further treatment services. Being clinically determined to have co-occurring disorders doesn't mean that the individual will need to be medicated through out their lives either, and in reality many people with a dual diagnosis experience more effective outcomes when treated holistically and when alternative treatment methods are utilized.