Dual diagnosis can be a situation whereby two independent disorders are present, and most often describes a co-occurring substance abuse and mental health disorder. A dual diagnosis might help someone that may not have been capable of being helped during the past, finish drug or alcohol abuse by being correctly diagnosed and helped. Their mental health disorder could have been misdiagnosed, undiagnosed, or treated incorrectly which may have triggered and led to their substance abuse issues. Establishing the truth that someone is in fact a dual diagnosis client not only helps establish a highly effective treatment course for them, but can also help clients better know what caused their drug use and the way to prevent it in the foreseeable future. Addressing dual diagnosis may be a more extensive process than the usual typical drug rehab program, and people with a dual diagnosis may need to participate in a substantial aftercare program which can include proper medical support as well as further rehab services. Being clinically determined to have co-occurring disorders doesn't mean that the individual will have to be medicated through out their lives either, and in reality many people who have a dual diagnosis experience far better outcomes when treated holistically and when alternative therapy is utilized.