'Choking game' killed at least 82 kids, CDC says

[Guest guest]

in the cases I was aware of. depression had little to do with it. The jocks had pretty much everything but intelligence. They would see friends fall out in the floor having convulsions, but once they stood up again and were only woozy, they laughed about it and had a go themselves. Peer pressure certainly was a motivation. Since they based everything around their being popular sports figures, they had to stay tight with the "in" crowd. This was so off campus too. Some of them did end up in legal trouble and a few were let go because of it.

The stoners could have been the depressed ones, however, the ones I knew were simply stupid. I think it possible that because of their experimenting with those things that they were poisoned against real life. I mean, they were so stupid as to huff gasoline vapors and even freon, which nearly killed one of them. They thought it was funny when it made their voices really deep, but when one passed out, the others ran away, leaving their friend lying in a maintenance room. If he hadn't been found by a janitor when he was, the kid would have died. I didn't care about the kid, but that would have been a real black mark on the school.

I've thought about suicide as well, but haven't tried it. There may come a time when that will be more of an option, but I have things to do before that. A single gunshot anywhere won't cut it. There are places to ensure a kill, but I won't mention those. You are also right that the body will fight. My survival instinct is surprisingly strong, so I doubt I would ever be able to follow through.

In a message dated 2/14/2008 2:09:19 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, no_reply writes:

I've always regarded these types of activities - when they are used to "get high"- as being indicative of a depressed kid. Obviously their lives are so forelorn that they cannot find enjoyment from everyday stimuli, such as a good book, a good movie, a video game, or simply playing with friends. I have attempted suicide at one time, and before doing so, I thought it would be fairly easy to accomplish. I had no idea the body would be so resilient and would fight so hard to live. But keeping the premise in mind, that most people think that one bullet to anywhere in the body, or a shoestring around the neck could kill you instantly, it would seem to me that a kid would have to make a hard choice about whether or not to attempt the choking game. And so what would provoke them to do it? Peer pressure in my opinion would be the number one thing because surely they would realize that getting high from hanging COULD be instantly fatal, and more easily fatal than just using a drug.Regardless of what their motivations are, they are certainly depressed if you consider that only a delve into the most extreme morbidity and possible mortality is what gets them peer approval or is what makes them happy.TomAdministratorThe year's hottest artists on the red carpet at the Grammy Awards. AOL Music takes you there.

[Guest guest]

in the cases I was aware of. depression had little to do with it. The jocks had pretty much everything but intelligence. They would see friends fall out in the floor having convulsions, but once they stood up again and were only woozy, they laughed about it and had a go themselves. Peer pressure certainly was a motivation. Since they based everything around their being popular sports figures, they had to stay tight with the "in" crowd. This was so off campus too. Some of them did end up in legal trouble and a few were let go because of it.

The stoners could have been the depressed ones, however, the ones I knew were simply stupid. I think it possible that because of their experimenting with those things that they were poisoned against real life. I mean, they were so stupid as to huff gasoline vapors and even freon, which nearly killed one of them. They thought it was funny when it made their voices really deep, but when one passed out, the others ran away, leaving their friend lying in a maintenance room. If he hadn't been found by a janitor when he was, the kid would have died. I didn't care about the kid, but that would have been a real black mark on the school.

I've thought about suicide as well, but haven't tried it. There may come a time when that will be more of an option, but I have things to do before that. A single gunshot anywhere won't cut it. There are places to ensure a kill, but I won't mention those. You are also right that the body will fight. My survival instinct is surprisingly strong, so I doubt I would ever be able to follow through.

In a message dated 2/14/2008 2:09:19 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, no_reply writes:

I've always regarded these types of activities - when they are used to "get high"- as being indicative of a depressed kid. Obviously their lives are so forelorn that they cannot find enjoyment from everyday stimuli, such as a good book, a good movie, a video game, or simply playing with friends. I have attempted suicide at one time, and before doing so, I thought it would be fairly easy to accomplish. I had no idea the body would be so resilient and would fight so hard to live. But keeping the premise in mind, that most people think that one bullet to anywhere in the body, or a shoestring around the neck could kill you instantly, it would seem to me that a kid would have to make a hard choice about whether or not to attempt the choking game. And so what would provoke them to do it? Peer pressure in my opinion would be the number one thing because surely they would realize that getting high from hanging COULD be instantly fatal, and more easily fatal than just using a drug.Regardless of what their motivations are, they are certainly depressed if you consider that only a delve into the most extreme morbidity and possible mortality is what gets them peer approval or is what makes them happy.TomAdministratorThe year's hottest artists on the red carpet at the Grammy Awards. AOL Music takes you there.

[Guest guest]

It's the latest social rage and just one of the many dangerous games

kids play to stay cool with their friends. It is quickly becoming a

rite of passage in many locales, so parents, be warned.

Personally, I like to think of it as " Survival of the fittest. " If

you are smart enough not to play, your deserve to survive.

Tom

Administrator

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2008-02-14-choking-game_N.htm?csp=34

'Choking game' killed at least 82 kids, CDC says

ATLANTA (AP) - At least 82 youths have died from the

so-called " choking game, " according to the first government count of

fatalities from the tragic fad.

In the game, children use dog leashes, bungee cords wrapped around

their necks or other means to temporarily cut blood flow to their

head. The goal is a dreamlike, floating-in-space feeling when blood

rushes back into the brain.

As many as 20% of teens and preteens play the game, sometimes in

groups, according to some estimates based on a few local studies.

But nearly all the deaths were youths who played alone, according to

the count complied by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention.

The CDC started the research after receiving a letter last year from

a Tacoma, Wash., physician who said her 13-year-old son died from

playing the game in 2005.

" At the time I had never heard of this, " said Dr. ,

whose son was found hanging in his closet, but later learned he had

talked to a friend about it.

The CDC counted reports from media and advocacy organizations in the

years 1995 through 2007, totaling 82 fatalities of children ages 6

to 19. They did not include deaths in which it was unclear if the

death was from the choking game or if it was a suicide. They also

did not include deaths that involved autoerotic asphyxiation, which

is self-strangulation during masturbation and is said to be mainly

done by adult males.

The 82 deaths were spread across the country. Nearly 90% were boys,

at an average age of about 13, the CDC found.

The report is being published this week in a CDC publication,

Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

CDC officials urged parents to be aware the fad exists, and to watch

for possible warning signs like bloodshot eyes, marks on the neck,

frequent and severe headaches, disorientation after spending time

alone, and ropes, scarves or belts tied to bedroom furniture or

doorknobs or found knotted on the floor.

The authors acknowledged that 82 is probably an undercount. They

could not rely on death certificates, which do not differentiate

choking-game deaths from other unintentional strangulation deaths.

Instead, they relied mainly on a news database that is large but

doesn't include all media outlets.

It's likely that there are about 100 U.S. choking game deaths each

year, said Dr. Tom , New Hampshire's chief medical examiner,

who has been studying the phenomenon for several years.

said many coroners and medical examiners likely label the

deaths as suicides because they don't have the time or resources to

interview a victim's friends and look for alternate explanations.

Many of the children who died form the choking game were described

as bright, athletic students who apparently were intrigued by a

method of getting high that doesn't involve drugs or alcohol, he

said.

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This

material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or

redistributed.

[Guest guest]

I've always regarded these types of activities - when they are used

to " get high " - as being indicative of a depressed kid. Obviously

their lives are so forelorn that they cannot find enjoyment from

everyday stimuli, such as a good book, a good movie, a video game,

or simply playing with friends.

I have attempted suicide at one time, and before doing so, I thought

it would be fairly easy to accomplish. I had no idea the body would

be so resilient and would fight so hard to live. But keeping the

premise in mind, that most people think that one bullet to anywhere

in the body, or a shoestring around the neck could kill you

instantly, it would seem to me that a kid would have to make a hard

choice about whether or not to attempt the choking game.

And so what would provoke them to do it?

Peer pressure in my opinion would be the number one thing because

surely they would realize that getting high from hanging COULD be

instantly fatal, and more easily fatal than just using a drug.

Regardless of what their motivations are, they are certainly

depressed if you consider that only a delve into the most extreme

morbidity and possible mortality is what gets them peer approval or

is what makes them happy.

Tom

Administrator

This is nothing new. There was a variant going around when I was in

high school in the late 1980's. I'm not sure how it was done, but I

do know that there were no belts or anything involved. I do know

that it took two people: the one getting " high " and the other to

somehow choke them or whatever they did. We had a couple rather bad

outcomes from that, but nothing serious or fatal. The practice was

banned on pain of expulsion if they got caught.

The story got it right on one point. In our case it was the athletic

types who were doing it, but not the bright people. It was the jocks

and the stoners who were into this kind of thing, and even more

stupid ideas.