ATLANTA — 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 or bungee cords wrapped around their necks to temporarily cut blood flow to the head. The goal is a dreamlike, floating-in-space feeling when blood rushes back into the brain.
As many as 20 percent of teens and preteens play the game, sometimes in groups, according to estimates based on a few local studies. But nearly all the deaths were youths who played alone, according to 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. Patricia Russell, whose son was found hanging in his closet. She later learned he had talked to a friend about it.
The CDC counted cases from news reports and advocacy organizations from 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.
The 82 deaths were spread across 31 states.
CDC officials urged parents to watch for warning signs like bloodshot eyes, marks on the neck, severe headaches, disorientation after spending time alone, and ropes, scarves or belts tied to bedroom furniture or doorknobs or found knotted on the floor.
