Dual diagnosis can be a circumstance in which two independent disorders are present, and most often describes a co-occurring substance abuse and mental health disorder. A dual diagnosis might help an individual who might not have been able to be helped previously, stop drug or alcohol abuse by being accurately diagnosed and treated. Their mental health disorder might have been misdiagnosed, not diagnosed at all, or mistreated which may have prompted and led to their drug or alcohol use problems. Establishing the reality that someone is actually a dual diagnosis client not only helps establish a highly effective treatment course for them, but may also help clients better understand what led to their drug use and ways to prevent it in the foreseeable future. Handling dual diagnosis can be a more extensive process when compared to a typical drug rehab program, and people who have a dual diagnosis might need to take part in an extensive aftercare program which may include appropriate medical support and also further rehab services. Being clinically determined to have co-occurring disorders doesn't imply that the individual must be medicated for the remainder of their lives either, and in fact many people with a dual diagnosis experience more effective results when treated holistically and when alternative treatment methods are utilized.