The diagnosis of heart disease is an emotionally charged life situation. The anxiety engendered may tax the reserves of the diseased cardiovascular system, and influence the medical course and response to therapy, as well as the patient's personality function. The doctor-patient relationship is the most important factor in the total handling of the cardiac patient; it provides the matrix within which all aspects of the problem may be organized into a unified process. The psychiatrist who is supervising or advising a physician treating a cardiac patient will find that his efforts will be most effective and satisfying, in most instances, when they are directed toward alleviating anxiety in both the patient and the physician, and in fostering between them a constructive therapeutic relationship.Abstract Teaser