Cardiologist Hélder Dores , Coordinator of Clinical Cardiology, Sports Cardiology and Cardiac Rehabilitation at Hospital da Luz Lisboa, served as editor of the book The Heart-Brain Connection: Why Psychology Matters in Cardiovascular Care (Elsevier edition), bringing together contributions from renowned specialists in cardiology, psychology and psychiatry. With an innovative approach to this field, the book explores the bidirectional relationship between cardiovascular disease and mental health , highlighting how both influence each other and share underlying mechanisms and risk factors. Topics such as stress, burnout, depression, anxiety, social support and treatment adherence are addressed considering the latest scientific evidence, emphasizing their prognostic impact on cardiovascular disease. The publication, co-edited by German psychologist Claudia Garbrecht, also underscores the importance of healthy lifestyles and cardiac rehabilitation programs , reinforcing the need to integrate psychosocial factors into cardiovascular disease prevention and treatment strategies . The book covers 13 relevant , practice-oriented topics , including the importance of psychology in cardiovascular care; mental health and cardiac rehabilitation; cardio-oncology rehabilitation for cancer survivors with high cardiovascular risk; emotional regulation and cardiac rehabilitation; among others. It provides in-depth clinical reviews on the heart-brain connection—why psychology matters in cardiovascular care—offering insights that can be applied in clinical practice. It also presents the latest information on this timely and focused topic under the leadership of experienced editors in the field. The authors synthesize and distill the most recent research and practice guidelines to produce clinically meaningful, topic-based reviews. More about the publication The Heart-Brain Connection: Why Psychology Matters in Cardiovascular Care .
