Dual diagnosis is a circumstance whereby two independent disorders are present, and most typically denotes a co-occurring drug abuse and mental health disorder. A dual diagnosis can help someone who might not have been capable of being helped during the past, stop drug abuse because they can be accurately diagnosed and helped. Their mental health disorder might have been misdiagnosed, undiagnosed, or mistreated that could have triggered and led to their drug abuse problems. Establishing the fact that someone is in fact a dual diagnosis client not merely helps establish an efficient treatment plan for them, but can also help clients better know what led to their drug abuse and ways to prevent it down the road. Handling dual diagnosis can be a more extensive process than a typical drug rehab program, and people who have a dual diagnosis may need to participate in an extensive aftercare program that might include appropriate medical support along with further treatment services. Being clinically determined to have co-occurring disorders doesn't signify the individual will have to be medicated for the rest of their lives either, and in reality lots of people with a dual diagnosis experience much better outcomes when treated holistically and when alternative treatment solutions are employed.