Parents who seek help for behavioral problems are increasingly likely to walk away with a prescription for powerful drugs. But some experts counsel caution.KATIE'S middle child "has always had a lot going on in her head," says her mother. And much of it has been a mystery to Katie, who has coped with her daughter's escalating tantrums, combative behavior, bouts of fearfulness and just-plain-oddity since the 11-year-old was a toddler.

  A project that could help rewrite psychiatrists' diagnostic guidebook is underway at UCLA. The work, launched this summer by the National Institutes of Health, aims to put the diagnosis of several major psychiatric conditions -- including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia -- on a more rigorous footing by identifying and mapping the biological processes that may link these diseases or distinguish them from one another.

  Tapping into the brain's ability to process music, researchers are using songs and sounds in novel ways.Dan Ellsey, 33, was sitting in his wheelchair in a soulless room at TewksburyHospital in Massachusetts, his virtually useless arms and weak torso strapped to the chair for safety.

  A full-tilt revival in ballroom dancing is emerging, bringing with it benefits that go beyond learning the fox trot.The schmaltzy strains of "Moon River" flow from the speakers as couples start to waltz in a studio in Santa Monica. Under a mirrored ball, they glide across the hardwood floor with perfect posture, silently mouthing the rhythm: one, two, three; one, two, three.

  We all know: A good attitude prolongs a patient's life. But a new study contradicts that widely accepted belief.Hoping to strengthen their stressed-out immune systems, many people with cancer join support groups, attend yoga classes or take other steps to lift their moods.

  A mother considers the doors that her son's illness has forced her to lock tight.The house is quiet today; I am alone. There is so much I should do here, so many things that go undone -- a full wastebasket here, a stack of mail there. Yet instead, I look and see what cancer has wrought.

  Many items turned pink in October, but who's giving, and how much?FOR people whose favorite color is pink, October was a great month. Others may have been wondering where all those suddenly pink products come from and how much money they bring in for breast cancer research and treatment. Concerns have also been raised recently about whether unscrupulous companies might be taking advantage of people's desire to donate to worthy causes during Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Here's a closer look at the purveyors of pink.

  Hair plugs gone bad, an extreme makeover and a dominatrix who bites -- hard! Just a day's work for the surgeons of 'Nip/Tuck.'"Nip/Tuck," season premiere, Oct. 30, FX, 10 p.m.

  I want to thank you for writing about turmeric. I had psoriasis on my feet and my hands so bad that I lost all my nails on my fingers. I went to doctor after doctor to heal my psoriasis, but nothing worked.

  YOU stop at the mailbox and bump into the guy down the hall. Or you pull into the driveway just as your neighbor is getting home. Suddenly you're gabbing about nothing in particular, and you end up frittering away 10 minutes. It's not a waste of time, according to research to be published in the February 2008 issue of the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. Ten minutes of talking, face to face or by phone, improves memory and boosts intellectual performance as much as doing crossword puzzles.