Psychological variables are significant in the evolution of coronary heart disease (CHD). Two types of personality have been identified as constituting coronary risk: Type 1 which is hypercompetitive and anxious, and Type 2 which is overscrupulous and guilt prone. Both these behavioural types are formed during infancy, and are thought to be neurotic. In rehabilitation it is therefore necessary to take into consideration the psychological as well as the physiological aspects, and so the evaluation of the patient's suitability for return to work, should be, at least in part, psychosomatic. The approach used by the Cardiac Rehabilitation Centre of Udine seems to point towards a successful strategy. The aim of the strategy is to improve the chances of secondary prevention, to correct risk factors on a long-term basis, and to arrive at safe and reliable criteria for return to work.