(Slate) – After I had had several therapy sessions and practiced a lot of self-care, the guilt, panic attacks, and intrusive images around Alice’s death lessened. It’s been over a decade since that terrible day. But healing isn’t linear. On Jan. 5, NYU Langone released a new study identifying a potential cause for at least some of these tragic SUDC deaths. SUDC research is challenging due to small sample sizes and lack of funding. This recent study, itself small, is the first breakthrough in decades, and suggests that febrile seizures could be at play in some cases.

This development is a step toward scientists understanding these deaths, and I hope it will spark additional research. But hearing about it and seeing it covered also opens wounds. New medical findings like this can open a portal of guilt. (Read More)