Dual diagnosis can be a circumstance 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 might help an individual who might not have been able to be helped in the past, end substance abuse by being properly diagnosed and helped. Their mental health disorder may have been misdiagnosed, not diagnosed at all, or mistreated which may have prompted and led to their drug abuse problems. Establishing the fact someone is in fact a dual diagnosis client not only helps establish a highly effective course of treatment for them, but will also help clients better know what triggered their drug use and how to prevent it in the foreseeable future. Addressing dual diagnosis might be a more extensive process compared to a typical drug rehab program, and folks with a dual diagnosis may need to participate in a substantial aftercare program which might include proper medical support along with continued rehab services. Being diagnosed with co-occurring disorders doesn't mean that the person will have to be medicated through out their lives either, and in fact many individuals who have a dual diagnosis experience more effective results when treated holistically and when alternative treatment solutions are utilized.