Dual diagnosis is a situation whereby two independent disorders exist, and most typically describes a co-occurring substance abuse and mental health disorder. A dual diagnosis might help a person that might not have been capable of being helped during the past, end drug or alcohol abuse by being properly diagnosed and helped. Their mental health disorder might have been misdiagnosed, not diagnosed at all, or mistreated which may have triggered and resulted in their substance abuse issues. Establishing the truth that someone is actually a dual diagnosis client not just helps establish an effective treatment course for them, but could also help clients better determine what led to their substance abuse and ways to prevent it in the future. Addressing dual diagnosis can be a more extensive process than the usual typical drug rehab program, and folks with a dual diagnosis might need to participate in an extensive aftercare program which might include proper medical support in addition to further treatment services. Being identified as having co-occurring disorders doesn't mean that the individual must be medicated through out their lives either, and in fact a lot of people with a dual diagnosis experience much better outcomes when treated holistically and when alternative treatment methods are utilized.