Dual diagnosis is a circumstance in which two independent disorders exist, and most often describes a co-occurring drug abuse and mental health disorder. A dual diagnosis may help someone that might possibly not have been able to be helped previously, end drug or alcohol abuse by being correctly diagnosed and helped. Their mental health disorder could have been misdiagnosed, not diagnosed at all, or mistreated that may have triggered and led to their drug or alcohol use problems. Establishing the truth that someone is certainly a dual diagnosis client not only helps establish an effective treatment course for them, but will also help clients better understand what led to their substance abuse and ways to prevent it in the foreseeable future. Handling dual diagnosis may be a more extensive process than a typical drug rehab program, and folks with a dual diagnosis may need to participate in a substantial aftercare program that might include appropriate medical support as well as further treatment services. Being identified as having co-occurring disorders doesn't mean that the person must be medicated through out their lives either, and in fact a lot of people with a dual diagnosis experience more effective outcomes when treated holistically and when alternative treatment methods are utilized.