Mutual support groups whose members are people who have experienced a loss, such as the death of a loved one, divorce or separation. The groups meet in-person, by telephone or via the Internet; are open to anyone who has had a loss rather than structured for people with particular types of losses; and focus on helping participants accept their loss, express their grief, move through the bereavement process and put their lives back together.

Mutual support groups whose members are people who have a disability, illness or other health condition, their families and friends. The groups meet in-person, by telephone or via the Internet; and provide an opportunity for participants to share information, resources, practical tips for daily living and encouragement about issues related to the disability or health problem.

A condition in which an individual experiences pain which persists beyond the expected time required for healing of an injury or after the expected course of an acute illness, usually with a duration of greater than six months. Chronic pain arises from a number of causes including invasion or compression syndromes due to cancer, neurological disorders such as neuralgia, phantom limb pain, nerve entrapment syndromes, spinal cord damage, muscular inflammation syndromes, and syndromes involving lesions in the thalamus.

Individuals who have experienced a loss, such as the death of a loved one or pet, divorce or separation, estrangement from a family member or any other kind of significant loss whose own patterns of personal, social and familial coping have been significantly affected as a result.