Do you have a habit of (a) explosively accentuating key words in your ordinary speech . . . and (b) finishing your sentences in a burst of speed? Do you always move, walk, eat rapidly? Do you get unduly irritated at delay -- when the car in front of you seems to slow you up, when you have to wait in line, or wait to be seated in a restaurant? Do you often try to do two things at once? Do you almost always feel vaguely guilty when you relax and do absolutely nothing for several days (even several hours)? If you answered YES to any of these questions, you may be falling into the dangerous TYPE A pattern.

For over a decade, "Type A" has been a household term, thanks in large part to Meyer Friedman, M.D., co-author of the original bestselling TYPE A BEHAVIOR AND YOUR HEART. Now, in collaboration with Diane Ulmer, R.N., M.S., Dr. Friedman tells Type A personalities -- the more than half of urban American males (and a growing number of females) driven by compulsive time urgency, aggressive competitiveness, and free-floating hostility -- how to reduce their alarmingly high risk of coronary heart disease. Based on an exhaustive four-year study, TREATING TYPE A BEHAVIOR -- AND YOUR HEART reveals: * How to spot the Type A personality -- in yourself, your family, or your friends. * How adjusting to life in the slow lane can free you from the threat of heart attack * How the wrong diet can be a quick killer * The deadly pitfalls of exercise * How changing your work habits, your emotional responses, even your speech patterns, can mean both a longer -- and a happier -- life

Meyer Friedman, the physician who first identified Type A behavior (TAB), here offers a full description of the most effective way to correctly diagnose it. This guidebook offers a step-by-step description of his revolutionary method that has proven successful in treating thousands of TAB sufferers, in many cases, alleviating it completely. A truly unique resource, Type A Behavior features drawings and photographs illustrating the psychomotor signs of TAB. A special appendix lists a series of quotations found especially useful for changing some of the false belief systems held by TAB subjects.

Almost two decades ago, Drs. Meyer Friedman and Ray Rosenman de veloped the concept of the Type A coronary-prone behavior pattern and pioneered research in the area. Since then, much effort has been devoted to investigating both medical and psychosocial implications of this phenomenon by an impressive array of biomedical and behavioral scientists. On the basis of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute's (NHLBI) recent Congressional mandate concerning disease prevention and control, the Division of Heart and Vascular Diseases undertook an intensive review of the existing literature in this area. The review underscored that the very nature of the concept of coronary-prone behavior requires examination by researchers from a variety of disciplines. Publication of findings in both the medical and behavioral literature, however, has created difficulties in gaining a truly com prehensive understanding of the total effort in this area. It became obvious that there was no coherent integration of information regarding the strength of the association between behaviors and disease processes (or outcomes), how be havioral factors associated with coronary heart disease were measured, the possible physiological mechanisms mediating the relationship between be havior and disease, whether intervention could be effective, and what forms of intervention appeared most promising. In short, a clear need existed to or ganize this information in a more coherent fashion so that it could be subjected to critical review by members of both the medical and behavioral scientific communities.

Clinical trials have demonstrated that psychosocial intervention with patients who have coronary heart disease (CHD) may reduce morbidity and help patients achieve better quality of life. "Heart and Mind: The Practice of Cardiac Psychology" explores these findings and how they can be applied to improve the prognosis for patients with CHD. This [is a] sourcebook for a career in cardiac psychology [intended for] psychologists, psychiatrists, cardiologists, internists, exercise physiologists, cardiac nurses, and other specialists as well as by social workers and primary care physicians.