Researchers also acknowledge that high-levels of stress can be maintained even after a distressful event has passed. This is common in victims of highly traumatic events, such as surviving a war, natural disasters, or violent assaults; they may carry a heightened risk of dementia and Alzheimer's Disease.
The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court rules that the state constitution gives gay and lesbian couples the right to marry, making the Bay State the first in the nation to allow same-sex marriage. Weddings begin in 2004.
The high court ruled that same-sex couples have the right to marry in all 50 states. Same-sex marriage supporters rejoice outside the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., on Friday after the U.S Supreme Court handed down a ruling regarding same-sex marriage. The high court ruled that same-sex couples have the right to marry in all 50 states. Alex Wong/Getty Images.