[Dangerous practices and games at school]

Dangerous practices and games at school. Three separate categories of dangerous games can be distinguished. The non-oxygenating or fainting games, which consist of mechanical compressions or strangulative mechanisms. These are performed in the search of pseudo-hallucinogenic sensations. There are several such games: from the simple but non-the-less dangerous "tomato game", performed by younger children (from 3-4 years of age), to the "choking game", between 7 and 14 years of age. "Aggressive" or "violent" games which use physical and psychological violence from a group of people towards a single individual. Acute neurological complications can be the consequence of such games, and their degree depends on the duration and intensity of the strangulation. These can vary from cerebral edema, loss of consciousness, long term cerebral damage (deafness, blindness, bedridden), irreversible coma and death. Physical consequences of aggressive games are equally important, such as vertebral fractures, cranial trauma, organ rupture. Victims of violence present repeated psycho-traumatic manifestations. Preventive messages associate information on the risks of such games with civic education (listening, solidarity and trust in others), the development of psychological and social skills, an active involvement in school-life and concrete responsibility taking. Early identification of symptoms of these practices by family members and professionals helps to avoid their repetition and increased danger, even addictive patterns.