For over 50 years, many children and teenagers have indulged, secretly and in complete ignorance of the danger, in strangulation or suffocation experiments with friends or sometimes by themselves.
We, the parents of victims, have decided to join forces so as to alert other parents and try to prevent such accidents by spreading information about the practice. Sanofi-Synthélabo has willingly agreed to join with the victims’ parents in this venture.
The practices are called:
The neckerchief game, Indian Dream, Blue Dream, The Frog, The Lung Game, Coma, Cosmos, The Tomato Game, The Towel Game.
Their particulars have been obtained from youngsters who have admitted to taking part in such games, and families and professionals who brought their observations to our attention.
It all really starts as a game: a friend explains the rules, which he claims to be harmless. After hyper-ventilation through quick knee flexing and deep breathing, he presses his thumbs on both sides of the partner’s neck to compress his carotids and stop the blood from flowing to the brain.
The child loses consciousness after experiencing hallucinatory sensations, his body shakes with spasms and convulsions. At this point, the grip is loosened and the friends try to “wake up” the player who, after regaining consciousness, describes his “visions”.
This can be a one-off experiment, yet it can be repeated up to 2 or 3 times a day for months.
After trying the “game” with others, the child may sometimes wish to do it by himself. This results in tragedy since there is nobody there to call for help… especially if some kind of strap is used instead of a friend’s thumbs.
The population at risk is vast. We have been told of cases ranging from 5-year-olds – initiated by older elementary school children – to young adults of 20. Boys and girls are equally involved, regardless of social or family background. Evidence given by educators who have been alerted to the problem shows that in some schools 50 to 100% of the pupils can indulge in the “game”.
Numbers of victims.
Since we first raised the alarm in October 2000 we have had reports of 75 children between the ages of 7 and 18 – the first one dating back to the 1950s, who have died as a result of this “game” in France . If we are to believe what the families have told us, hundreds of children are practically certain to have died from the “game” over the past 50 years.
Many children have been brought back to life through intensive care, sometimes after a coma which potentially leaves irreversible after-effects. At any rate, brain cells that have been deprived of oxygen, even if only for a short while, are bound to be damaged.
Warning signs.
· Any suspicious mark on the side of the neck, sometimes hidden by means of a neckerchief, a scarf or a permanently turned-up collar.
· Any kind of strap, a rope or a belt lying about near the child without any reason – questions about such objects are often eluded.
· Headaches, sometimes excruciatingly bad ones, loss of concentration, a flushed face.
· A thud in the bedroom or against a wall – meaning a fall in cases of solitary practices.
· Any questions about the effects, sensations or dangers of strangulation.
Alarm and prevention.
Children and teenagers must be strenuously warned against the extreme danger of what they regard as a harmless game. Just a few minutes are enough to kill the child or leave him disabled for life.
It is advisable to inform teachers, supervisors, matrons, all those involved in education or in charge of youngsters, who do not always realise that the game is played in some secluded corner of their premises, or who are not aware of the risks. The roller-towels of the school’s toilets were used in at least three cases of death (Clichy-sous-Bois, Bourges, Lyon).
Prevention works.
Some headmasters, in partnership with parents, teachers and educational psychologists, have discussed the dangers with their pupils. The “game” stopped immediately, and when they eventually found a way to talk it over with the children, the adults realised how scary those practices, which had gone unnoticed until then, were. Besides, the children themselves became aware of the risks they were taking.
Yet, getting the information across to adults is no easy task. All too often those in charge of youngsters will just turn a deaf ear. Many a youngster’s death is viewed as suicide even though the inquest proves it to be really accidental.
Information note – by Dr. Anne BEEKER.
Strangulation results in suffocation. (There exist other causes, e.g. drowning, a foreign body in the trachea (wind-pipe…). In the first instants of a blackout, before losing consciousness, a person can experience several sensations – dizziness, an impression of objects moving about on the floor, bright spots in front of their eyes, a blurred vision, a ringing in the ears.
Severe anoxia – or deprivation of oxygen – results in a coma within seconds. If this is extended for more than a few minutes (3 to 5 minutes), it causes irreversible brain injuries.
The after-effects of a prolonged brain anoxia can persist long after the normal flow of oxygen has been restored, with the full range of conditions, from complete recovery to cerebral death.
The consequences are extremely varied, depending on the duration and degree of anoxia, total or not – mental slowness, headaches – often intense and persisting – sleepiness, shivers and tremors, madness, epileptic fits, uncontrolled movements, amnesia (loss of memory), a more or less deep coma.
In short, any “game” involving strangulation is extremely dangerous – not only because of the danger of death, but also of more or less serious and sometimes irreversible after-effects.
For further information:
One of the mothers of our association has written a book:
“Nos enfants jouent à s’étrangler en secret.”
(« Our children’s secret game : strangulation »)
by Françoise COCHET
Published by : Editions F.X. de Guibert – (2e edition 2003)
Do not hesitate to get in touch with us. All testimonies will be welcome. They will help fight this scourge.
APEAS
Association
de Parents d’Enfants Accidentés par Strangulation.
(Association of Parents of Young Victims of Strangulation.)
Cidex
956
F-71290
ORMES.
Tel. :
06 13 42 97 85
Web site : http://membres.lycos.fr/apeas/
SANOFI-AVENTIS
Provides support for our association in its public healthcare preventive actions.