An Experiment or Death by Strangulation

Another report about our deadly friend The choking game, still deadly, still here, not a trend, so get educated and stay educated on what you might be doing to your body.

credit:(dailyRx)

Reports, from the US and Canada, show that adolescents are experimenting with the ‘choking game’. Creating awareness of brain damage and accidental death may curb an adolescents interest.

It appears the choking game has been spreading across the nation for a few years.

A recent study assessed the choking game in Oregon’s eight-grade population. Researchers suggested spreading awareness of the risks and dangers to put an end to it.

Talk to your kids about choking risks.
Kenneth D. Rosenberg, MD, MPH, Robert J. Nystrom, MA, and Sarah K. Ramowski, MSW, from the Oregon Health Authority of the Public Health Division, teamed up with Julie Gilchrist, MD, and Nigel R. Chaumeton, PhD, from the Division of Unintentional Injury Prevention at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to look at the risks involved when eight-graders play the choking game.

The choking game is pretty simple. An individual or a group cuts off the blood flow to the brain or induces hyperventilation to generate a high.

The problems with the choking game are twofold: loss of oxygen to the brain kills brain cells, and accidental death from loss of oxygen or asphyxiation.

Oregon isn’t the only place where adolescents participate in the choking game. A recent study looked at accidental death from the choking game in Canada, while another investigated the prevalence of the choking game in Texas.

The Oregon Health Authority gathered data from 2009 on 5,348 eighth-graders. To get a full picture, the team asked about the prevalence and frequency of the individual’s choking game experience and, “included questions about physical and mental health, gambling, sexual activity, nutrition, physical activity/body image, exposure to violence, and substance use.”

Only 6.1 percent of both male and female eight-graders reported having ever participated in the choking game. Of those participants 64 percent had played more than once and 26.6 percent had played more than five times.

The research team found, “Among Oregon eight-graders surveyed, greater than 6% had ever participated in the choking game. Participation was linked to poor nutrition and gambling among females, exposure to violence among males, and sexual activity and substance use among both genders.”

Authors conclude, “The results of this study reveal that choking game participation clusters with other risk behaviors and is not an activity, among those studies, that is more likely to be found among high-achieving, low-risk-taking youth.”

Authors recommend awareness and intervention from parents, teachers and health care professionals to prevent or stop this behavior.

This study was published in the journal Pediatrics, May 2012. No external funding was provided and no conflicts of interest were disclosed.

More information and education here: www.ed4ed4all.com
Our team of educators and specialists in this area will be glad to help you, email me anytime if you know of someone that needs help or has questions about the choking game, our organization is also available for speaking engagements at schools, churches, clubs, etc. email me here ernursescare@charter.net

Leslie

~Our Letter To Congress~

There is an alarming wave of deaths among our country’s youth; a wave that continues to go unnoticed by mainstream media. Adolescents across the nation are victims of unintentional fatalities caused by their participation in the “choking game” and though known by many names, the intent is to pass out purposely for amusement or for a “buzz”. This silent epidemic that focuses the most brutal results on our very young middle schoolers, remains hidden from public attention because currently there is no way to accurately track and report the number of cases. This lack of statistical proof also limits prevention efforts promoted by the grass-roots organization of the thousands of grieving families who have lost a child to this insidious “game”.

As your constituent, I have signed my name below to ask that you help us help our children by doing the following:

1. Call the CDC and request to be briefed on the issue of the “choking game”.

2. Support the CDC and the Department of Health and Human Services by requesting that the World Health Organization add a sub code that includes the “choking game” as a cause of death.

3. Include the “choking game” among the health-risk behaviors that contribute to the leading causes of death and disability among youth in the CDC’s Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS), and make the YRBS affordable and accessible for all states.

4. Support the CDC’s Division of Adolescent and School Health (DASH) model of education as the means to disseminate information regarding the “choking game”.


Enduring the death of a child is heartbreaking. As my representative to Congress, I ask that you help me prevent other families from this heartache by showing your support in establishing statistical evidence of the “choking game,” Your efforts will assist us in heightening awareness among teens and their parents, teachers, and health care providers.

Thank you,

My addition to the letter as a nurse and Injury Prevention Specialist~~

As a Registered Nurse for over 24 years most of my years have been spent in Emergency Nursing and the countless deaths of children and teens that are called "suicides" may possibly actually be cause from this youth risk behavior named TCG or the choking game. We at Ed4Ed4all.com have devoted our lives to helping STOP this behavior and other risky behaviors like it that are taking our loved and cherished children away. Our Education for educators and parents is available free. Please help us to stop the choking game so more parents can actually see their kids graduate high school, walk down the aisle at their weddings and raise grandchildren that are our future.
Thank you for signing this petition!! http://www.petition2congress.com/5809/stop-choking-game/
I sign it for your kids! my kids, grand kids and the future of our country.

Leslie Block RN
Ed4Ed4all Injury Prevention Specialist.
National Social Media Manager for The Mommies Network 

Please take the time to sign the petition, email it to your Congressmen, pay the extra mere $9.00 to also have the letters printed and hand delivered to their offices on Capital Hill. We can make an impact, we are the voters!

 

Image thanks to Christina Richert 

 article re-posted from child safety 101 "theexaminer.com"

Hopefully, if you are the parent of a young child or teen, you have heard of this game before.  If you haven't, you need to familiarize yourself with it and be prepared to talk to your child about its dangers.  Because most kids have heard of it, and many are playing it, sometimes with deadly consequences.
The Choking Game is also known by the names "Black Out" or "Pass Out", is defined by the CDC as "self-strangulation or stangulation by another person with the hands or a noose to achieve a brief euphoric state caused by cerebral hypoxia."  Translation?  Kids, primarily between 9 and 16 years old, are attempting to get a quick high by cutting off the oxygen to their brain for short periods of time.
The danger is that when a person's brain is deprived of oxygen for even short periods of time, brain damage or death can result.  Kids, who often play this game in groups, may never have witnessed any adverse effects, and therefore think the game is safe.  But its not.  According to the Games Children Shouldn't Play (GASP) website, between 250 and 1,000 kids die playing this game each year.
In What is the Choking Game, we examined this scary, potentially deadly game that is "played" by thousands of kids every year.  Awareness is great, but parents also need to know what they can do to prevent their child from falling victim to this trend, and what signs to look for that may indicate that their child is already participating.
Choking Game Prevention
The most important thing parents can do is talk to their kids about this game and it's dangers.  Many parents may be hesitant to do so, fearing that if they bring up the subject, they may be giving kids the "idea" to engage in this practice.  However, according to the Games Adolescents Shouldn't Play (GASP) website, most kids already know about the game anyway.  What they don't know is how deadly it can be. The GASP website has educational materials you can use to talk to kids about this dangerous activity.
Choking Game Warning Signs
The GASP website lists some of the common warning signs that a child may be engaging in The Choking Game:

• Any suspicious mark on the side of the neck, sometimes hidden by a turtleneck, scarf or permanently turned-up collar.
• Changes in personality, such as overtly aggressive or agitated.
• Any kind of strap, rope or belt lying around near the child for no clear reason—and attempts to elude questions about such objects.
• Headaches (sometimes excruciatingly bad ones), loss of concentration, flushed face.
• Bloodshot eyes or any other noticeable signs of eye stress.
• A thud in the bedroom or against a wall—meaning a fall in cases of solitary practice.
• Any questions about the effects, sensations or dangers of strangulation.

If you suspect a child may be engaging in this behavior, let their parents know right away.  Talk to them about the dangers, and refer them to the GASP website for more information.
Please take the time to view this short video about The Choking Game.
Thank you to Susan Carney Child Safety Examiner on the website examiner.com for this article to help us make parents more aware of this dangerous youth risk behavior, the team at Ed4Ed and Gasp want everyone to be more aware and look for all the signs. A complete injury prevention program for any parent or educator is located on our blog at Ed4Ed4All.blogspot.com please visit and educate yourself. You might just save a life that you love.

"Safer than drugs? NOT!!

The choking game is not safer than drugs! The most common age for this fatal risk taking game is 11-16 yrs old, 87% are males. Many deaths from this are just thought to be suicides, not accidental suffocations.Causes irreversible brain damage, permanent disabilities and death. The "choking game" is an activity in which persons strangulate themselves to achieve euphoria through brief hypoxia. In simple terms: they choke themselves, cutting off the blood(that carries the oxygen) from the heart to the brain, thus passing out or near passing out. As they let go or unloosen the stangulation all the blood that has pooled rushes back up to give that person a "warm and fuzzy feeling". What happens when the warm and fuzzy feeling goes wrong and you pass out with whatever tied around your neck? You do not wake up, you die!!! If you, your child or your friends think this is fun and safer than drugs, better leave your obituary written out so your family can find it when you are gone. If you want a "warm and fuzzy feeling"  I will gladly get you a kitten or a puppy ;), they are warm and fuzzy, but alot less dangerous.

Thank you to the GASP Association for this great video, and thank you to Carrie at Ed4Ed on You Tube for making sure this was on You Tube for all to view.

~~~Leslie~~~
crazy ER nurse and not a fan of the Space Monkey

Playing the "Choking Game"?

I hope your answer to the above question is NO!!

This is not just a stupid kids game? This is a fatal choice to many children and teens, what choice will you make...Life or Death?

The choking game is a dangerous activity that older children and early adolescents sometimes play to get a brief high. They either choke each other or use a noose to choke themselves. After just a short time, children can pass out, which may lead to serious injury or even death from hanging or strangulation.

Since 1995, at least 82 children and adolescents have died as a result of playing "the choking game," according to a new study by CDC's Injury Center. Researchers analyzed media reports of deaths of children and adolescents from the choking game. Highlights from their findings address some common questions about this public health threat.

What is the choking game?

The choking game is a dangerous activity that older children and early adolescents sometimes play to get a brief high. They either choke each other or use a noose to choke themselves. After just a short time, children can pass out, which may lead to serious injury or even death from hanging or strangulation.

Who is most at risk for death from playing the choking game?

• Boys were much more likely to die from the choking game than girls; 87% of victims were boys.
• Most of the children that died were 11-16 years old (89%).
• Nearly all of the children who died were playing the game alone when they died.
• Deaths have occurred all over the United States; the choking game isn't limited to one area of the country.
What are the warning signs that a child is playing the choking game?

Parents, educators, health-care providers, or peers may observe any of the following signs that can indicate a child has been involved in the choking game:
• Discussion of the game or its aliases
• Bloodshot eyes
• Marks on the neck
• Wearing high-necked shirts, even in warm weather
• Frequent, severe headaches
• Disorientation after spending time alone
• Increased and uncharacteristic irritability or hostility
• Ropes, scarves, and belts tied to bedroom furniture or doorknobs or found knotted on the floor
• The unexplained presence of dog leashes, choke collars, bungee cords, etc.
• Petechiae (pinpoint bleeding spots) under the skin of the face, especially the eyelids, or the conjunctiva (the lining of the eyelids and eyes)

What are some of the other names used for the choking game?

• Pass-out game
• Space monkey
• Suffocation roulette
• Scarf game
• The American dream
• Fainting game
• Something dreaming game
• Purple hazing
• Blacking out/blackout
• Dream game
• Flat liner
• California choke
• Space cowboy
• Airplaning
• Purple dragon
• Cloud nine

How quickly can someone die after playing the choking game?
Someone can become unconscious in a matter of seconds. Within three minutes of continued strangulation (i.e., hanging), basic functions such as memory, balance, and the central nervous system start to fail. Death occurs shortly after.

Are there non-fatal, long-term consequences of the choking game?
• Loss of consciousness and death of brain cells due to oxygen deprivation in the brain; coma and seizures may occur in severe cases
• Concussions or broken bones (including jaws) from falls associated with the choking game
• Hemorrhages of the eye

How can the choking game be prevented?
Research is not available on the best strateges to prevent the choking game. However, parents, educators, and health-care providers should be made aware of this public health threat and the warning signs that adolescents may be playing the game.
(above information copied from the CDC website)


More Information :

Unintentional Strangulation Deaths Among Children and Adolescents: The "Choking Game" – United States, 1995-2007  CDC link
 CDC feature "the choking game"
The Choking Game Can Be Deadly--  deadly choking game
 For Kevins Sake- a fatal victim
GASP website
Youtube video about Choking Game


Be educated and Be Safe~~~ Leslie~~~