RESUMO
Clinical rehabilitation in patients after a cerebrovascular accident or a head injury is sometimes hampered by the onset of emotional disorders, particularly during the initial period of convalescence. Sodium valproate (VPA) is used not only as an antiepileptic drug but also as a mood stabilizer in clinical psychiatric practice. We used VPA for treating emotional disorders, thereby increasing the effectiveness of rehabilitation in a convalescent setting. We administered VPA to 7 patients with higher brain dysfunction to treat their emotional disorders from August 2006 to April 2007 in the convalescent rehabilitation ward (60 beds) of Yamaguchi Rehabilitation Hospital. We used the Japan Stroke Scale-Emotional Disturbance Scale (JSS-E) to evaluate the patient's mental condition and the Barthel Index (BI) to assess the effect of rehabilitation. The JSS-E scores showed significant improvement after VPA administration. The BI scores also showed improvement. These scores indicate that VPA was effective in treating emotional disturbances and in improving patient's activities of daily living. Thus, we showed that VPA can be useful in treating emotional disorders during convalescent rehabilitation.