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.
Same-sex marriage legalized nationwide: Supreme Court rules. Watch: A gay couple get their marriage license application denied in Kentucky. What the Supreme Court's swing vote on marriage equality asked during oral arguments. This shocking 1975 letter shows how far the federal government has come on gay rights.