Dual diagnosis can be a circumstance whereby two independent disorders are present, and most typically describes a co-occurring drug abuse and mental health disorder. A dual diagnosis may help an individual who may not have been capable of being helped in the past, put an end to substance abuse by being properly diagnosed and helped. Their mental health disorder could have been misdiagnosed, not diagnosed at all, or mistreated which could have prompted and resulted in their drug abuse issues. Establishing the fact that someone is certainly a dual diagnosis client not just helps establish an effective course of treatment for them, but may also help clients better know what triggered their drug use and ways to prevent it in the foreseeable future. Handling dual diagnosis might be a more extensive process than the usual typical drug rehab program, and people with a dual diagnosis may need to participate in a substantial aftercare program which can include proper medical support and also further rehab services. Being clinically determined to have co-occurring disorders doesn't mean that the person will need to be medicated for the remainder of their lives either, and in fact a lot of people who have a dual diagnosis experience more effective outcomes when treated holistically and when alternative therapy is utilized.