Almost 80,000 Students Playing Dangerous ‘Choking Game’: Survey
Posted May 1, 2008 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
A dangerous pastime has kids risking life and limb for a cheap high according to a study released on Thursday.
The study, conducted by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), says 79,000 Ontario students are playing the “choking game,” in which players intentionally choke themselves until they’ve almost blacked out.
“The game can be played alone or with others,” explains Dr. Jurgen Rehm of CAMH. “A dolescents try to choke each other until they experience a high.”
But the activity can turn dark when the children involved accidentally go too far. CAMH found that at least 82 kids in the United States have died from playing the choking game in the past decade, while 72 Canadian participants have been admitted to the hospital during the same period.
“We knew the game was around,” Dr Rehm attests, but the prevalence was shocking.
Jessie Grant, a twelve-year-old Barrie boy, died in April 2005 after choking himself with a computer cord. He had learned to do it from other youths at camp the previous summer.
The game is also commonly known as the pass-out game, black out, space monkey, and five minutes in heaven.
Dr Rehm suggests that children may be using the ‘game’ to cope with stress.
“There are lots of anxieties, and we should be aware of that and we should try to help them get a right transition into the society,” Dr Rehm urges.
Parents are being urged to look for the following signs that their children have been partaking in this potentially deadly habit:
How To Tell If Your Child Is Playing The “Choking Game”
- bloodshot eyes
- frequent headaches
- locked doors
- marks on the neck
- rope or scarves around the bedroom (also look for unexplained dog leashes, choke collars, bungee cords)
- wear and tear marks on bedposts and closet racks
- disorientation after spending time alone
Warning signs courtesy Deadly Games Children Play.
The CAMH study, called the 2007 Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey, also found the following:
- Approximately three per cent of students reported a suicide attempt in the past year
- About one in ten students rate their mental health as poor
- About nine per cent of students may have a video gaming problem 31 percent of students reporting symptoms of depression, anxiety or social dysfunction.
- 21 per cent of students visited a mental health professional a least once during the past year
- 30 per cent have experienced bullying
To read the full study, click here.
