In the rehabilitation of traumatic brain injury, emotional disorders such as a quick temper, depression and irritability are a critical problem, as well as cognitive dysfunctions such as impairment of attention and memory. In addition, it is rare that they are completely isolated and cognitive dysfunction and emotional disorders tend to have an influence on each other. In other words, the stress caused by cognitive dysfunction induces an aggressive emotional disturbance, and unrest of mood accelerates cognitive dysfunctions such as memory and judgment. Therefore, it is important to consider their emotional states when we start rehabilitation for patients with traumatic brain injury. We had a valuable experience in early rehabilitation of two patients with traumatic brain injury. We had very good results by thinking about the emotional disorder first, and thereafter training for the cognitive dysfunction. Case 1, a young male, was a computer programmer. After suffering a traumatic brain injury, he could not think logically and he had many emotional problems with his mother. Case 2 was a middle-aged housewife. She became depressive and negative towards rehabilitation, because of her memory problems post traumatic brain injury. We administered a rehabilitation regime which attached great importance to treating the emotional disorders affecting these two patients. As a result, in the early phase, we were able to make progress in cognitive rehabilitation as well as improving their emotional problems by our intervention, and they overcame their cognitive dysfunctions and resumed their normal daily lives in a month.
