Since the seminal book Heart and Mind: The Practice of Cardiac Psychology was first published in 1996, the research linking psychosocial factors with heart disease has expanded enormously.

This second edition distills this research, providing chapters by the world's foremost authorities on the major psychosocial risk factors linked with heart disease, including depression, social isolation, and anger, as well as several emerging factors, such as "Type D" (distressed) personality, anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder, and vital exhaustion. Clinical interventions involving stress reduction, exercise, and Transcendental Meditation are also explored.