Abstract: Type D personality (or distressed personality) refers to the joint tendency of experiencing negativeaffectivity (NA) and social inhibition (SI). For patients with established cardiovascular disease, thispsychological risk factor has been associated with their psychological distress, impaired quality of life, reinfarctions, and mortality. This article summarized the research on relationship between type D personality and cardiovascular disease, explored the clinical value for early identifying high risk patients, discussed the potential mechanisms for evidences from neuroendocrine, immunology, and psychology, and evaluated the feasibility of relevant. Psychological intervention.

Key words: type D personality, cardiovascular disease, negative affectivity, social inhibition, psychological intervention.