Dual diagnosis is a circumstance whereby two independent disorders exist, and most often describes a co-occurring drug or alcohol use and mental health disorder. A dual diagnosis might help someone that might not have been able to be helped before, finish drug or alcohol abuse by being properly diagnosed and treated. Their mental health disorder could have been misdiagnosed, not diagnosed at all, or treated incorrectly that may have prompted and resulted in their substance 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 know what caused their drug abuse and ways to prevent it later on. Handling dual diagnosis may be a more extensive process than the usual typical drug rehab program, and people with a dual diagnosis might need to participate in an extensive aftercare program that might include appropriate medical support as well as continued rehab services. Being identified as having co-occurring disorders doesn't imply that 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 treatment methods are utilized.