Cardiac Rehabilitation and Mental Health.

Mental health conditions (eg, depression, anxiety) are highly prevalent in cardiovascular populations, impacting treatment adherence, functional recovery, quality of life, and long-term outcomes. Mechanisms underpinning the heart-brain-mind axis are multifactorial, involving behavioral, cognitive, neuroendocrine, autonomic, and systemic inflammatory processes. Integrating pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions into cardiac rehabilitation enhances both psychological well-being and cardiovascular prognosis. Nonetheless, the implementation of such interventions remains inconsistent, underscoring cardiac rehabilitation as an underused yet strategic framework for embedding mental health care into secondary prevention.