Steve was a highly motivated law enforcement officer. He could remember car license plates, phone numbers, P.I.N numbers, file numbers, names, dates, places and then one day his wife of 16 years suddenly and completely unexpectedly announced that she was leaving him and the children.

Shortly after that Steve had a break-down and spent a month recovering. Not long after he recovered he began to notice that his memory wasn't as good as it had once been. Phone numbers were harder to remember, cell phone numbers were never remembered, file numbers were gone and other things were harder to recall. Steve put it down to age and pressure of work.

It has affected the way Steve relates to the world. He finds it an embarrassment that he can't remember phone numbers and he admits that he is now more dependant on his new wife to help him function in today's modern world. There is no doubt that he can survive but there is a definite impairment and reduction in his enjoyment of life.

Ten years later the medical profession is beginning to realize that what happened to Steve is far from uncommon and a recent report in the American Journal of Psychiatry highlights some research into this problem.

It now seems that the human brain sometimes lapses into depression when it cannot properly deal with sadness, separation or grief. When the brain lapses into depression then those areas of the brain that deal with emotion, motivation and grief all become affected.

The research reported in the American Journal of Psychiatry focused on nine women who participated in the project. All underwent brain scans and all reported a serious emotional break-up within the last 4 months.

One of the symptoms reported by all 9 women was an inability to get over the relationship, they could not stop thinking about the other person and they continually felt sad. However the level of grieving was not the same in all 9 women.

Those who the researchers found were grieving the most showed the biggest decrease in brain activity in those regions associated with emotion, attention and motivation.

While that research project may have concluded there is no doubt that more research is still required. However, even this small project has given doctors a glimpse at what happens inside the human brain. It's one small step towards helping those who are disabled by grief.

People like Steve may never recover their ability to remember small things but perhaps there is hope for others not too far in the future.

One in every six Australians suffer from depression, it costs the Australian economy over $3 billion a year. If you think you need help then see your doctor NOW!.

If you want to know more about this terrible illness then visit http://www.beyondblue.org.au