Schools warn about self-choking

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Casshew

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The death of a 12-year-old Seattle girl has prompted school officials to alert parents to a troubling practice in which children intentionally cut off oxygen to their brains as a means of getting high.

The so-called choking game may have killed the McKnight Middle School seventh-grader, who was found unconscious in her bedroom Wednesday with one end of a karate belt knotted around her neck, the other tied to the top of her bunk bed.

"Whether it is an accidental death or intentional death is the question, and I don't know if we'll ever find out," said Seattle Police Department spokesman Rich Pruitt. The King County Medical Examiner's Office determined only that the cause of death was asphyxia. An investigation is continuing.

Either way, officials in the Seattle and Renton public school districts hastily circulated information Thursday about the practice, in which kids use their hands, arms, ropes or belts to cut off oxygen to their brains and induce light-headedness to the point of passing out.

Most important, experts around the country said, was for parents to talk with children about the dangers.


http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/242904_choking30.html
 
There have been several deaths in the last year like this with very young teens and preteens involved. I asked my sons if they had ever heard of such a thing, and they both looked at me like I was insane. They are only 9 and 10, so maybe a little too young, but a friend's daughter who is 11 had heard of it. :eek:

What in the hell are these kids thinking about when they try something so stupid? How do you protect them from themselves at this age?

It is terrifying.
 
My daughter is 11 (12 in December) she looked at me like I had 2 heads when I brought up the subject :slap:
 
Casshew said:
My daughter is 11 (12 in December) she looked at me like I had 2 heads when I brought up the subject :slap:
Click to expand...

Yeah, this is one of those cases where you don't want to ignore it and find out the hard way that they already know...but just by bringing it up you put the thought into their heads if they didn't. It's lose - lose.

It turns my stomach.
 
Casshew said:
My daughter is 11 (12 in December) she looked at me like I had 2 heads when I brought up the subject :slap:
Click to expand...

When I brought it up with mine one said "oh yeah, so and so plays that all the time". I was like :eek: This friend is no longer playing it anymore....why it is called a "game" anyway???

I remember as kids trying to make our faces turn purple, but never did we even think about putting something around our neck!
 
It's crazy. I haveheard of kids (toddlers) who hold their breaths to get their way with Mom and Dad.... but this stuff is scary, theyare doing for a high and in older people its a sexual thing :eek:
 
angelmom said:
There have been several deaths in the last year like this with very young teens and preteens involved. I asked my sons if they had ever heard of such a thing, and they both looked at me like I was insane. They are only 9 and 10, so maybe a little too young, but a friend's daughter who is 11 had heard of it. :eek:

What in the hell are these kids thinking about when they try something so stupid? How do you protect them from themselves at this age?

It is terrifying.
Click to expand...

My kids are older, baby is 14, oldest is 24. They have ALL heard of this. They tell me it has a sexual aspect to it, which I won't go into here, but this is some scary stuff. As a parent, we know to look for signs of alcohol and drug use, we know to check out friends carefully, to train them to look both ways when crossing the street, etc. but HOW do you know this activity is going on until it is too late???? My kids tell me they don't do this, that they know it is insane, but they tell me it is popular and practiced everywhere.
 
kgeaux said:
My kids are older, baby is 14, oldest is 24. They have ALL heard of this. They tell me it has a sexual aspect to it, which I won't go into here, but this is some scary stuff. As a parent, we know to look for signs of alcohol and drug use, we know to check out friends carefully, to train them to look both ways when crossing the street, etc. but HOW do you know this activity is going on until it is too late???? My kids tell me they don't do this, that they know it is insane, but they tell me it is popular and practiced everywhere.
Click to expand...
Hi kgeaux,

No young kids in my family either, but what you said is correct about it being usually associated with a sexual act. One fellow years ago out here was on trial because his wife/girlfriend died during the act.

In fact the other night on Law & Order (I think it was L&O) it was the topic of the show. They even referred to "Hanging Erection" when they found a young guy dead.

ETA: Article

Deadly lesson Warning about sexual asphyxiation/A respected teacher dies while performing a dangerous sex act. How do you warn others when readers don't want to hear it?

SNIP:​

Even among our well-read news staff, few knew much about sexual asphyxiation. The practice, also called autoerotic asphyxiation, involves attempting to reach a heightened sexual orgasm by cutting off the oxygen and blood supply to the head during masturbation. Not everyone who tries it dies, but accidental death often occurs when the person loses consciousness and falls forward, being strangled by the rope or belt tied to his neck.


 
angelmom said:
There have been several deaths in the last year like this with very young teens and preteens involved. I asked my sons if they had ever heard of such a thing, and they both looked at me like I was insane. They are only 9 and 10, so maybe a little too young, but a friend's daughter who is 11 had heard of it. :eek:

What in the hell are these kids thinking about when they try something so stupid? How do you protect them from themselves at this age?

It is terrifying.
Click to expand...

You're a good mom, angel, even if your kids briefly think you are crazy.

I remember a similar "game" making the rounds when I was 8 or 9 (that was in the 60s), so your kids are not too young for you to make them aware of the danger.
 
Nova said:
You're a good mom, angel, even if your kids briefly think you are crazy.

I remember a similar "game" making the rounds when I was 8 or 9 (that was in the 60s), so your kids are not too young for you to make them aware of the danger.
Click to expand...

Thanks. I haven't lost any credibility b/c they already thought I was nuts. They think I am the most overprotective mom in the world, and that I worry about stuff that no one else's parents have ever even heard of. Sometimes I think they wonder if I'm making stuff up to see what they'll say! But the look on their faces couldn't be faked.

kgeaux said:
HOW do you know this activity is going on until it is too late???? My kids tell me they don't do this, that they know it is insane, but they tell me it is popular and practiced everywhere.
Click to expand...

I think one article I read said that you should be aware if you notice bruising on your child's neck and the story of how it got there doesn't ring true. That would definitely ring an alarm bell for me!
 
A game they call ... "Breath Play" "The Choking Game" "Choke out" "The Pass Out Game""Black Out" "Bagging" "Space Monkey" "Flat Liner" Tingling and Suffocation Roulette" "Funky Chicken" It is just a KILLER!!!!!!


The red flags:
-- If your child has a rope or plastic bag
-- Has bloodshot eyes
-- Is experiencing headaches
-- Has marks on his/her neck



Experts say parents should be aware of a potentially deadly practice -- called "the choking game" -- that some children are using to get high.

Children as young as 10 years old have participated in "the choking game," so they can feel a rush in their brains before passing out from a lack of oxygen. Kids use their hands -- or sometimes anything including belts or scarves -- to choke themselves or each other until unconscious. http://www.sentinelandenterprise.com/local/ci_3191334

This is a link to a website set up by a mother whose son died during the "choking game" http://www.nickserna.com/id14.html
Excellent information on that site with links to many media articles about this.
Oprah had a mother on today whose son died.
 
Casshew said:
It's crazy. I haveheard of kids (toddlers) who hold their breaths to get their way with Mom and Dad.... but this stuff is scary, theyare doing for a high and in older people its a sexual thing :eek:
Click to expand...
Its called auto-erotic asphyxiation and its as old as the hills. It goes through phases of being popular with certain age and/or social groups. Coroners figure at least half of the so-called suicides by hanging were actually misadventures involving auto-erotic asphyxiation--the lead singer of NXS being the most well-known recent example.
 
BillyGoatGruff said:
Its called auto-erotic asphyxiation and its as old as the hills. It goes through phases of being popular with certain age and/or social groups. Coroners figure at least half of the so-called suicides by hanging were actually misadventures involving auto-erotic asphyxiation--the lead singer of NXS being the most well-known recent example.
Click to expand...
You're right Billy, I posted a link (#8) last month, this is not anything new.
 
Tom'sGirl said:
You're right Billy, I posted a link (#8) last month, this is not anything new.
Click to expand...
A friend of mine who is a psychologist had a book that was, effectively, a list of case histories of people who had been found dead and/or injured and mistaken for suicides or attempted suicides, but were later diagnosed to be "misadventures" caused by esoteric/dangerous masturbation techniques. It was written in extremely dry terms, but the basic facts (and accompanying crime scene photos) resulted in some superb black humor.
The three best:
1.The man who used a floor buffer to, ahem, polish his equipment, which gave him an electrical shock that killed him then basically polished him down to the thigh bones.
2. The man who tied a noose around his neck that got caught on the axle of his VW Bug and dragged him around in a circle for hours.
3. The elementary school science teacher who lived with his mother and according to her would "conduct experiments" that involved him shocking himself with the leads to an electric blanket, that one day threw his heart out of rhythm.
 
BillyGoatGruff said:
A friend of mine who is a psychologist had a book that was, effectively, a list of case histories of people who had been found dead and/or injured and mistaken for suicides or attempted suicides, but were later diagnosed to be "misadventures" caused by esoteric/dangerous masturbation techniques. It was written in extremely dry terms, but the basic facts (and accompanying crime scene photos) resulted in some superb black humor.
The three best:
1.The man who used a floor buffer to, ahem, polish his equipment, which gave him an electrical shock that killed him then basically polished him down to the thigh bones.
2. The man who tied a noose around his neck that got caught on the axle of his VW Bug and dragged him around in a circle for hours.
3. The elementary school science teacher who lived with his mother and according to her would "conduct experiments" that involved him shocking himself with the leads to an electric blanket, that one day threw his heart out of rhythm.
Click to expand...
That was probably a really interesting book, it would be interesting to read.

Years ago when I was much younger my father in law was taking a class associated with his line of work. Anyway, as I recall the name of the book was "How to Determine Murder/Suicide", also with photos. I read some of the most bizzare things in that book.
 
BillyGoatGruff said:
Its called auto-erotic asphyxiation and its as old as the hills. It goes through phases of being popular with certain age and/or social groups. Coroners figure at least half of the so-called suicides by hanging were actually misadventures involving auto-erotic asphyxiation--the lead singer of NXS being the most well-known recent example.
Click to expand...
It is only Autoerotic Asphyxia if it is combined with masturbation--that's the auto (self) erotic (sex) part.
These cases that I am refering to have no indication of sexual gratification. These kids are playing these "games" for the high. One in which I refered to is Space Monkey. Space monkey is a game that's becoming popular among some junior and senior high school students. It invloves one person hyperventilating then holding the breath while another person bear hugs them from behind. This hug and breath holding enhances an effect called Valsalva Maneuver (VM). VM is the technique that wieghtlifters instinctivly employ when lifting heavy weights. They hold their breath and squeeze their abdominal muscles as they lift. The net effect of VM is an increase in intrathoracic pressure (inside the chest cavity) which creates high pressure on the great veins (superior and inferior vena cava). This high pressure on the great veins reduces blood return to the heart which in turn, reduces blood output from the heart. When blood output to the brain is reduced, brain oxygen is reduced (cerebral hypoxia) and the person faints or passes out.
Repeated bouts of cerebral hypoxia has the potential to cause brain damage. For individuals with heart disease or certain vascular diseases Valsalva Maneuver can cause heart attack, stroke, or other cardio vascular damage.
Is Space Monkey autoerotic asphyxia?
Only if it is combined with masturbation.
http://www.cwu.edu/~jenkinsa/Autoerotic_Asphyxia_Page.html

While there are cases of teens being involved in Autoerotic Asphyxia, that does not appear to be so in any of the cases that I linked to in the above post. This trend with the "Choking Games" that is on the rise seems to be for the "high".
 
I remember way back when I was in Junior High School, we would play a game at slumber parties called "The Fainting Game". The idea was to rapidly take in many deep breaths (hyperventilate) while sitting down, and then to suddenly stand up and run forward. You were supposed to faint. I never fainted but I (and I believe many of the other girls) pretended to faint for a little drama. I guess the real point was to get a head rush or high. It was harmless as long as nobody fell and hit their head on something, but I can see that it has evolved into something much more dangerous. Why is it so exciting to kids and even adults to get a "buzz"?
 
Cypros,

I remember doing that too. As a matter of fact I chipped a tooth. You are right this has evolved into something much more serious.

Cypros said:
I remember way back when I was in Junior High School, we would play a game at slumber parties called "The Fainting Game". The idea was to rapidly take in many deep breaths (hyperventilate) while sitting down, and then to suddenly stand up and run forward. You were supposed to faint. I never fainted but I (and I believe many of the other girls) pretended to faint for a little drama. I guess the real point was to get a head rush or high. It was harmless as long as nobody fell and hit their head on something, but I can see that it has evolved into something much more dangerous. Why is it so exciting to kids and even adults to get a "buzz"?
Click to expand...
 
Shadow205 said:
It is only Autoerotic Asphyxia if it is combined with masturbation--that's the auto (self) erotic (sex) part.
These cases that I am refering to have no indication of sexual gratification. These kids are playing these "games" for the high. One in which I refered to is Space Monkey. Space monkey is a game that's becoming popular among some junior and senior high school students. It invloves one person hyperventilating then holding the breath while another person bear hugs them from behind. This hug and breath holding enhances an effect called Valsalva Maneuver (VM). VM is the technique that wieghtlifters instinctivly employ when lifting heavy weights. They hold their breath and squeeze their abdominal muscles as they lift. The net effect of VM is an increase in intrathoracic pressure (inside the chest cavity) which creates high pressure on the great veins (superior and inferior vena cava). This high pressure on the great veins reduces blood return to the heart which in turn, reduces blood output from the heart. When blood output to the brain is reduced, brain oxygen is reduced (cerebral hypoxia) and the person faints or passes out.
Repeated bouts of cerebral hypoxia has the potential to cause brain damage. For individuals with heart disease or certain vascular diseases Valsalva Maneuver can cause heart attack, stroke, or other cardio vascular damage.
Is Space Monkey autoerotic asphyxia?
Only if it is combined with masturbation.
http://www.cwu.edu/~jenkinsa/Autoerotic_Asphyxia_Page.html

While there are cases of teens being involved in Autoerotic Asphyxia, that does not appear to be so in any of the cases that I linked to in the above post. This trend with the "Choking Games" that is on the rise seems to be for the "high".
Click to expand...
Believe me, these games the kids are playing have a decidely sexual element to them, even if the kids are basically unaware of them at the start. I suspect that aspect of their behavior is being overlooked or deliberately not discussed in the papers.
 
By staff report
November 23, 2005

PORT ST. LUCIE — Police on Tuesday identified the body found on city-owned land off Westmoreland Boulevard on Monday as Daniel Karam, 17, of the 2600 block of Southeast Morningside Boulevard. Karam died of asphyxiation, Capt. Scott Bartal said. The cause of death appears to be self-inflicted," he said. "We do not suspect any foul play."

Karam had been reported missing late last week. http://www.tcpalm.com/tcp/local_news/article/0,2545,TCP_16736_4261088,00.html
 
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