Dual diagnosis is a situation in which two independent disorders are present, and most typically denotes a co-occurring substance abuse and mental health disorder. A dual diagnosis will help a person that may possibly not have been capable of being helped before, stop drug abuse by being accurately 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 substance abuse problems. Establishing the reality that someone is in fact a dual diagnosis client not merely helps establish an effective course of treatment for them, but will also help clients better determine what led to their drug use and ways to prevent it in the foreseeable future. Handling dual diagnosis can be a more extensive process when compared to a typical drug rehab program, and individuals who have a dual diagnosis might need to take part in an extensive aftercare program which can include proper medical support in addition to further treatment services. Being clinically determined to have co-occurring disorders doesn't mean that the person should be medicated through out their lives either, and in fact many people with a dual diagnosis experience far better outcomes when treated holistically and when alternative therapy is employed.