Psychosomatic diagnostics and therapy are of increasing importance in the acute treatment, prevention and rehabilitation of cardiovascular diseases. The connection between heart disease and the psyche as well as the psychosocial concomitant symptoms is well documented. Contents: • Basics of cardiology and psychosomatic medicine; • Doctor-patient relationship; • Ethical issues, gender effects, psychocardiology along the lifespan; • Psychosomatic problem areas and comorbidities in coronary heart disease: Personality factors, risk behaviours, depression, anxiety disorders; • Specific problems in other cardiovascular diseases and treatment settings; • Diagnostics; • Interdisciplinary cooperation, treatment and rehabilitation; • Training courses in psychocardiology. The book offers cardiologists, internists, general practitioners, psychotherapists and psychologists all practice-relevant basics to be able to treat their patients in the best possible way. It is a translation of an original German edition. The translation was done with the help of artificial intelligence (machine translation by the service DeepL.com). A subsequent human revision was done primarily in terms of content, so that the book may read stylistically differently from a conventional translation.

This handbook brings together the full weight of contemporary evidence bearing on what is now commonly termed “psycho-cardiology”. It focuses on the role of psycho-social factors in the genesis and clinical management of cardiovascular disease (CVD). The book constitutes a critically reviewed compendium of current knowledge in the area, coupled with guides to evidence-based best practice in the field of psycho-cardiology. The following categories are covered: Social/demographic risk for CVD, Personality and CVD risk, Stress and CVD risk, Psychopathology (particularly affective disorders) and CVD risk, The psychological management of those with clinical CVD, Psychology in the prevention of CVD. The book integrates the evidence into a compelling argument that clinicians, researchers and those in public health will discount the role of psychological factors in regard to CVD at their own peril. And importantly for clinicians charged with the care of patients with CVD, the book poses the argument that failure to recognize the links between psychological factors and CVD may well be at the considerable peril of those patients under their care.

Mental disorders and cardiac diseases are dynamically interrelated. Shared processes include neuro-hormonal, physiological, behavioral, cognitive, social and genetic/ epigenetic factors that have an impact on both psycho-cardiologic health and disease. Beyond co-morbidity during (sub-) acute illness states, the childhood origins of adult mental disorders and cardiovascular diseases are increasingly recognized.

The world is witnessing a burgeoning global epidemic of chronic cerebro- and cardiovascular disease and depression disorders. The reader will find this comprehensive book to be a long-needed, up-to-date knowledge base on these increasingly recognized comorbid conditions that have long-term consequences for individual function and well-being and society in general. This comprehensive book outlines the complex and bidirectional relationship between various types of depression and cerebro- and cardiovascular diseases. It is written by a range of experts in the field, including psychiatrists, cardiologists, neuroscientists, psychologists, and epidemiologists, with the aim of presenting and discussing the most recent evidence on the pathophysiology, neurobiology, and clinical presentation of these common and disabling comorbid conditions and the available pharmacological, psychological, and behavioral interventions. By elucidating the underlying clinical and neurobiological mechanisms in the brain and the rich interplay between the body and the brain biology, the book brings together the latest knowledge of this overlapping area in Psychiatry and Cardiology. The clear descriptions of evidence-based approaches to clinical treatment ensure that it will serve as both an up-to-date overview and a future guide for practicing clinicians and graduate students.

The chapters in this volume are based on a systematic meta-analysis of the international literature by 40 German scientists who convened to evaluate the research and discarded all but the highest quality data on psychological aspects of coronary heart disease. The result is a collection that synthesizes the most significant findings and indicate productive avenues for intervention and further research.

This comprehensve review of scientific research supporting evidence of the relationship between cardiac disease and psychological condition offers practical suggestions for developing a clinical practice, and proposes directions for future research in the new field of "cardiac psychology". Every chapter is written by world-renowned researchers in the field. A theoretical and practical guide, it will interest physicians, clinical and health psychologists, and all professionals who seek to understand the mind-health link.