A TEENAGE BOY is being cared for at Temple Street Children’s Hospital in Dublin after taking part in what is known as “the choking game”.
The boy is in a stable condition and this is the first case of this kind at the hospital.
Doctors have warned young people about the dangers of “the choking game” – a game in which a person or a friend puts pressure on their throat until they nearly pass out.
Very dangerous
Speaking on RTE’s Morning Ireland today Dr Kevin Carson Clinical Director of the Paediatric Intensive Unit at Temple Street Hospital said they want to get the message out about the danger of the ‘choking game’ stating that they hope to counter act this through education.
He said while this was the first case in the hospital, he said that through interaction with parents “we know that this is happening right across the country”.
Dr Carson said that young people mostly between the ages of 11-16, try the ‘choking game’ believing they will get a high from it.
Brain damage or death
He said this was something that is very dangerous and can have devastating effects. Dr Carson said:
Some children have varying effects on the brain, like short term memory loss, while other children will end up dying or end up severely handicapped due to the starvation of oxygen to the brain.
He said they wanted to highlight the danger to parents and particularly to children. “The message going around is that this is not a particularly dangerous thing – it is very dangerous. Children can end up severely brain damaged or dead,” he said.
He said both boys and girls try the “choking game” out of curiosity and said that in the US there were 82 deaths recorded.
He urged parents to talk to the children about it, adding that children can be curious about it and often ask their parents about it. He said that education is the only way to counteract the trend stating that schools and parents should make themselves aware of the dangers.
This group GASP has more information and material on the dangers of the choking game.
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