Dual diagnosis is a situation in which two independent disorders exist, and most typically describes a co-occurring drug or alcohol use and mental health disorder. A dual diagnosis will help someone that might not have been capable of being helped during the past, end drug abuse because they can be properly diagnosed and helped. Their mental health disorder could have been misdiagnosed, not diagnosed at all, or treated incorrectly that may have prompted and resulted in their drug abuse issues. Establishing the truth that someone is actually a dual diagnosis client not only helps establish an effective course of treatment for them, but may also help clients better determine what led to their substance abuse and ways to prevent it in the foreseeable future. Handling dual diagnosis might be a more extensive process than a typical drug rehab program, and individuals with a dual diagnosis might need to participate in a substantial aftercare program that might include proper medical support along with 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 actually lots of people with a dual diagnosis experience far better outcomes when treated holistically and when alternative treatment methods are employed.