Parents warned to be on alert as teen hospitalised after choking ‘game’

A doctor is appealing to parents to be on the lookout for signs that their children could be involved in a dangerous activity called the choking or fainting game.

A teenage boy remains in a serious condition in Temple Street Children’s Hospital in Dublin after engaging in the activity.

The hospital’s intensive care director, Dr Kevin Carson, said that while it was the first reported case of the choking game in Ireland, he was aware that it was going on in the community.

Dr Carson said boys and girls were engaging in self-strangulation or choking each other to a point where they are almost unconscious in order to get a euphoric high.

“The delusion is that they can get a high without drugs and, therefore, it is safe but it is very far from safe,” he said.

It is understood that the parents of the boy were anxious to highlight the matter so other children would not engage in the highly dangerous activity.

Dr Carson pointed out that 82 children had died in America as a result of engaging in the activity.

He said parents need to talk about the practice with their children and know how to spot the signs.

“Children may have marks on their neck; they may be wearing clothes to hide marks on their neck; they may have bloodshot eyes or little haemorrhages on their skin.”

Acquired Brain Injury Ireland chief executive, Barbara O’Connell, said starving the brain of oxygen could cause permanent injury after just five minutes. She said a child or teenager could be left with a wide range of both cognitive and physical problems.

“Cognitive difficulties, such as short-term memory loss, lack of concentration and difficulty in processing words or carrying out simple tasks can become a hidden disability and harsh reality,” she said.

The Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children’s director of services, Caroline O’Sullivan, said videos on the internet showing children engaging in the choking or fainting game should be taken down.

“Children need to know it is not healthy to prevent your body from getting oxygen — you need it to live,” she said.

Minister for Mental Health, Kathleen Lynch, said the choking incident was very worrying.

She said schools should be giving children the right message — that such risky behaviour could have very serious consequences.