Inpatient Care Co-Occurring Disorders Unit

Co-Occurring Disorder Care in Central Massachusetts

A co-occurring disorder means you are dealing with both a mental illness and substance use disorder. Often, people with mental health problems self-medicate to feel better. This process can provide temporary relief but often makes your mental health problems more severe and difficult to treat. 
Co-occurring disorders can include a range of conditions. For example, you may have mild depression caused by binge drinking. Or a substance addiction may worsen bipolar disorder.

The Co-Occurring Disorders Unit (CDU) at UMass Memorial Health – Harrington is dedicated to treating your needs in a proactive, supportive and therapeutic environment. The goal is to improve your emotional, behavioral, social and physical well-being. 

What to Expect From Co-Occurring Disorder Care

Our program includes several steps to ensure you get targeted, appropriate care:

• Psychiatric assessments
• Case management
• Family meetings
• Individual treatment by addiction counselors
• Medication management
• Psycho-educational groups
• Aftercare planning

We cover many topics in group therapy to help you heal. During group therapy, you meet with others going through similar experiences. You can gain strength and support from sharing your stories and encouraging each other. Group therapy topics you may discuss include:

• Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)/Narcotics Anonymous (NA) meetings
• Coping skills
• Exercise
• Introduction to the 12 Steps
• Occupational therapy
• Pet therapy
• Relapse prevention strategies
• Sensory therapy

People tend to stay between seven and 10 days. After discharge, we refer you to our outpatient services — including the Partial Hospitalization Program — to continue your treatment.