Dual diagnosis is a circumstance in which two independent disorders exist, and most typically describes a co-occurring drug or alcohol use and mental health disorder. A dual diagnosis can help someone that may not have been capable of being helped during the past, end drug abuse by being properly diagnosed and helped. Their mental health disorder could have been misdiagnosed, not diagnosed at all, or treated incorrectly that may have triggered and resulted in their drug abuse problems. Establishing the fact that someone is in fact a dual diagnosis client not just helps establish a highly effective treatment plan for them, but can also help clients better know what triggered their drug abuse and how to prevent it in the foreseeable future. Handling dual diagnosis may be a more extensive process than the usual typical drug rehab program, and people who have a dual diagnosis might need to participate in an extensive aftercare program which can include proper medical support in addition to continued rehabilitation services. Being identified as having co-occurring disorders doesn't imply the individual must be medicated for the rest of their lives either, and in fact lots of people with a dual diagnosis experience far better results when treated holistically and when alternative treatment solutions are utilized.