Dual diagnosis can be a situation 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 who might possibly not have been capable of being helped in the past, stop drug or alcohol abuse by being accurately diagnosed and treated. Their mental health disorder may have been misdiagnosed, undiagnosed, or mistreated which could have prompted and led to their drug abuse problems. Establishing the fact someone is certainly a dual diagnosis client not just helps establish a highly effective treatment plan for them, but may also help clients better know what led to their drug abuse and the way to prevent it later on. Addressing dual diagnosis might be a more extensive process compared to a typical drug rehab program, and folks who have a dual diagnosis might be required to participate in a substantial aftercare program which might include proper medical support as well as continued rehabilitation services. Being diagnosed with co-occurring disorders doesn't mean that the individual will have to be medicated through out their lives either, and in reality a lot of people with a dual diagnosis experience more effective results when treated holistically and when alternative treatment methods are employed.