Dual diagnosis can be a circumstance in which two independent disorders are present, and most typically denotes a co-occurring drug abuse and mental health disorder. A dual diagnosis may help a person that might not have been able to be helped in the past, stop drug abuse because they can be accurately diagnosed and helped. Their mental health disorder may have been misdiagnosed, undiagnosed, or mistreated which could have triggered and led to their substance abuse issues. Establishing the reality that someone is certainly a dual diagnosis client not only helps establish an effective treatment plan for them, but can also help clients better understand what triggered their substance abuse and ways to prevent it in the foreseeable future. Handling dual diagnosis is often a more extensive process than a typical drug rehab program, and individuals with a dual diagnosis might be required to participate in a substantial aftercare program which might include appropriate medical support as well as further treatment services. Being clinically determined to have co-occurring disorders doesn't imply the individual must be medicated through out their lives either, and in fact many individuals with a dual diagnosis experience much better results when treated holistically and when alternative therapy is utilized.