August 15, 2005
Mounting evidence shows that some kids and teens are playing "suffocation games," choking themselves and each other in an effort to feel a buzz from passing out and awakening, according to a report by USA Today.
Three months ago, an Idaho girl was found hanging from a belt and shoelace outside her bedroom closet. Six girls in her school had previously been suspended after a security camera caught the seventh-graders choking one another in a hallway. In July, an Idaho boy died by accidentally hanging himself from a tree after he and a friend regularly used a rope to cut off oxygen to the brain, apparently in an effort to get high.
Due to its effects on the cells of the nervous system, depriving the brain of oxygen can induce tingling or a mild euphoria (a "high") lasting up to 10 seconds. However, so-called suffocation games can cause permanent brain damage or even death. Some kids "play" these dangerous games in groups, using belts, hands, sheets, ropes, or plastic bags. Some do it in response to peer pressure, while others may do it in search of a cheap and legal high.
Statistics do not yet indicate how widespread suffocation games are, but concern about the trend has grown in the medical community in recent years. In 2001, in the medical journal Injury Prevention, researchers wrote about five cases in Canada where young girls strangled themselves using hanging cloth towel dispensers in the school restrooms. Four of them died. In 2003, in the journal Annals of Emergency Medicine, doctors wrote about a case of "suffocation roulette," and noted that the game is among the risky behaviors that parents, doctors, and teachers should watch for among teens.
Suffocation games aren't the only dangerous activity of kids who are searching for a cheap and immediate high. Inhalant abuse, the sniffing or breathing ("huffing") of substances to get an immediate rush that can lead to brain damage or suffocation, is becoming a growing threat among kids and teens, according to studies by the federal government. Nearly 20% of teens report using inhalants at least once in their lives, and inhalant use among all grades has risen steadily since 1991, according to the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
Inhalants can produce a quick feeling of being drunk - followed by sleepiness, staggering, dizziness, and confusion. Longtime users get headaches and nosebleeds, and sometimes lose their sense of smell. Inhalants decrease the supply of oxygen to the brain and can cause brain damage.
Substances that have been used as inhalants include:
- glues
- paint thinners
- dry-cleaning fluids
- gasoline
- felt-tip marker fluid
- hairspray
- deodorants
- spray paint
- whipped-cream dispensers (also known as whippets)
Nicknames commonly used for inhalants include whippets, poppers, snappers, rush, bolt, and bullet.
What It Means to You
Kids and teens may engage in risky behaviors for many reasons, including low self-esteem and peer pressure. Other risk factors include:
- low grades or poor school achievement
- hostile, defiant behavior
- tendency to be influenced excessively by peers
- lack of adequate support or supervision
- history of behavior problems
- history of drug use by siblings or friends
If your child is taking part in choking games, he or she may regularly have red eyes, severe headaches, and unusual marks or bruising on the neck. If your child has possession of aerosol products, such as whipped-cream cans, it may be a warning sign that your child is using inhalants.
If you are concerned that your child is putting himself or herself in danger in any of these ways, it's important to talk with your child about it. Explain that these games can lead to brain damage and even death. For help on how to do this, consider talking with your child's doctor or the counseling staff at your child's school.
You can help prevent your child from engaging in any risky behaviors - whether it's the choking game, inhalants, drugs, or alcohol - by warning your child about the permanent health problems that can result. It's also important to spend time with your child, know his or her friends, and keep up with your child's recreational activities, schoolwork, and social life. Research shows that parents who take an active interest in their child's life can exert a positive influence and reduce the likelihood that their child will turn to dangerous behaviors.
Reviewed by: Steven Dowshen, MD
Date reviewed: August 2005
