Dual diagnosis can be a circumstance in which two independent disorders are present, and most often denotes a co-occurring drug abuse and mental health disorder. A dual diagnosis might help a person that might possibly not have been able to be helped previously, stop substance abuse by being correctly diagnosed and helped. Their mental health disorder may have been misdiagnosed, undiagnosed, or treated incorrectly which may have prompted and led to their drug or alcohol use issues. Establishing the reality that someone is actually a dual diagnosis client not merely helps establish an efficient treatment course for them, but will also help clients better understand what led to their drug abuse and how to prevent it in the future. Addressing dual diagnosis might be a more extensive process than a typical drug rehab program, and people who have a dual diagnosis might need to participate in an extensive aftercare program that might include proper medical support as well as continued rehabilitation services. Being clinically determined to have co-occurring disorders doesn't imply that the person must be medicated through out their lives either, and in fact many people who have a dual diagnosis experience more effective outcomes when treated holistically and when alternative treatment solutions are employed.