Dual diagnosis is a situation whereby two independent disorders are present, and most often denotes a co-occurring substance abuse and mental health disorder. A dual diagnosis can help a person that may possibly not have been able to be helped previously, end substance abuse because they can be properly diagnosed and treated. Their mental health disorder could have been misdiagnosed, not diagnosed at all, or mistreated which could have prompted and resulted in their substance abuse issues. Establishing the reality that someone is certainly a dual diagnosis client not only helps establish a highly effective treatment plan for them, but will also help clients better determine what triggered their substance abuse and the way to prevent it in the foreseeable future. Addressing dual diagnosis might be a more extensive process compared to a typical drug rehab program, and individuals who have a dual diagnosis might need to take part in an extensive aftercare program that might include proper medical support in addition to continued treatment services. Being identified as having co-occurring disorders doesn't imply that the individual must be medicated through out their lives either, and in reality lots of people with a dual diagnosis experience more effective results when treated holistically and when alternative therapy is utilized.