Dual diagnosis can be a circumstance in which two independent disorders are present, and most often describes a co-occurring drug abuse and mental health disorder. A dual diagnosis might help an individual who may not have been able to be helped before, end substance abuse because they can be properly diagnosed and treated. Their mental health disorder may have been misdiagnosed, not diagnosed at all, or mistreated which could have triggered and resulted in their drug or alcohol use issues. Establishing the truth that someone is in fact a dual diagnosis client not only helps establish an effective course of treatment for them, but could also help clients better determine what triggered their drug use and how to prevent it in the future. Handling dual diagnosis is often a more extensive process than a typical drug rehab program, and folks with a dual diagnosis may need to participate in an extensive aftercare program which can include proper medical support as well as further treatment services. Being clinically determined to have co-occurring disorders doesn't signify the person will have to be medicated through out their lives either, and actually a lot of people with a dual diagnosis experience more effective results when treated holistically and when alternative treatment solutions are utilized.