Dual diagnosis is a circumstance whereby two independent disorders exist, and most typically describes a co-occurring substance abuse and mental health disorder. A dual diagnosis may help someone who may not have been able to be helped during the past, put an end to drug abuse because they can be properly diagnosed and helped. Their mental health disorder may have been misdiagnosed, undiagnosed, or mistreated which may have prompted and led to their substance abuse issues. Establishing the fact that someone is actually a dual diagnosis client not merely helps establish an effective course of treatment for them, but could also help clients better understand what triggered their drug abuse and the way to prevent it in the future. Addressing dual diagnosis might be a more extensive process when compared to a typical drug rehab program, and people with a dual diagnosis might need to participate in an extensive aftercare program which might include appropriate medical support and also continued rehabilitation services. Being clinically determined to have co-occurring disorders doesn't mean that the individual will need to be medicated for the rest of their lives either, and in fact lots of people with a dual diagnosis experience more effective outcomes when treated holistically and when alternative treatment solutions are employed.