Dual diagnosis can be a situation whereby two independent disorders are present, and most typically denotes a co-occurring drug or alcohol use and mental health disorder. A dual diagnosis will help a person that may not have been able to be helped before, end drug abuse by being correctly diagnosed and helped. Their mental health disorder could have been misdiagnosed, not diagnosed at all, or treated incorrectly that may have triggered and resulted in their drug abuse issues. Establishing the reality that someone is in fact a dual diagnosis client not only helps establish an effective treatment plan for them, but can also help clients better determine what led to their drug use and the way to prevent it in the foreseeable future. Addressing dual diagnosis is often a more extensive process when compared to a typical drug rehab program, and people who have a dual diagnosis might be required to participate in a substantial aftercare program which might include appropriate medical support as well as continued rehab services. Being identified as having co-occurring disorders doesn't imply the person will have to be medicated through out their lives either, and in fact a lot of people with a dual diagnosis experience more effective results when treated holistically and when alternative therapy is employed.