Suicide and attempted suicide is a real problem for adolescents. They are undergoing very rapid development and in my opinion it is probably related to intellectual development getting ahead of emotional development. This is especially serious if their image of the world is based on a judgemental power structure of some type.

Dude, I used to play the chocking game in elementary! We would hold our breath, or "choke" ourselves until we passed out and apparently you would see things or people could tell you to do stuff and you would do it like you were hypnotized. Umm. It never worked for me. But, I totally played it. When kids get an idea like that, they keep doing it until they get to see things or are hypnotized or whatever. It's not a game, by any means. It's dangerous, as you can see. But, I can totally understand the game, because I played it as a child. Stupid, but "everyone" did it. And that's the downfall. It's peer pressure and it was the "cool" thing. It was almost like magic as a kid, as well. I always wanted to have it happened to me, so i kept playing the game. Sometimes it just goes to far.

Do you think it could be murder made to look like suicide? Seems like it's too common in this one school. I have heard of Auto Erotic Asphyxia but it seems unlikely that 14 year olds are into that. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erotic_asphyxiation

I have never heard of people hanging themselves as a choking game.

It could be a number of things. I played the choking game as a kid too, but I never used something around my neck, I just held my breath and had someone hold my chest so I couldn't breathe out, and then I would pass out for a sec and people would laugh as you fish tail around. The school could say that the kids were playing the choking game, but instead it was a suicide, and they don't want to look at that possibility, or the parents are saying that it's the game instead of looking at it that it was a suicide. Maybe these kids were taking it too far, as some kids do. I just don't see kids using a rope to hang themselves as part of the game. I just don't. I also don't think it's a "game", but as a means to get sortof high for free. The feeling you get before you pass out is very euphoric (I practice jiu jitsu, and I had played the game as a kid), and it's free to get, as opposed to doing drugs which cost money and you could easly be incriminated with. I think it does need to be addressed, but instead of bringing a bunch of kids to an assembly they don't care about, bring someone into classes and teach the kids about what actually happens and why it happens. They are more likely to sto if they know what they are getting into, instead of a chance to get out of class. *Edit- I also want to add that I hope your daughter is okay from the loss of her friends. My best wishes to your duaghter and yourself, and to the families of these children.

i dont know what they would be thinking but i would make sure to have a good long talk with your daughter about the serious results of this game. and just remind her that her family loves her.

If done correctly, you will become high of this game. But its not worth it-(even from an addict standpoint) the high lasts seconds and then you pass out.