Dual diagnosis is a situation in which two independent disorders are present, and most often describes a co-occurring drug or alcohol use and mental health disorder. A dual diagnosis may help an individual who might not have been able to be helped in the past, stop drug abuse because they can be properly diagnosed and treated. Their mental health disorder may have been misdiagnosed, not diagnosed at all, or treated incorrectly which could have triggered and resulted in their drug abuse issues. Establishing the truth that someone is certainly a dual diagnosis client not just helps establish a highly effective treatment plan for them, but may also help clients better know what led to their drug use 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 with a dual diagnosis might need to participate in an extensive aftercare program which can include proper medical support as well as further rehabilitation services. Being identified as having co-occurring disorders doesn't imply the person must be medicated through out their lives either, and actually a lot of people with a dual diagnosis experience far better outcomes when treated holistically and when alternative treatment solutions are employed.