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.
With these changes, at least 37 states and D.C. recognize same-sex marriage. There is also a federal appeals court ruling to uphold states' ban on same-sex marriage. On Nov. 6, 2014, a federal appeals court judge in the 6th U.S. Circuit upheld four states' bans on same-sex marriage.