There is no safe way to strangle

Many young people we have spoken with assume that strangulation will be pleasurable and safe – perhaps because it looks that way in porn or they know people who have done it and claim it is safe.

But strangulation experts advise that there is no safe way to strangle – and the consequences are not just at the point of strangulation, but may occur in the minutes, hours, days, weeks and months that follow. There is a wide range of risks involved in strangulation (not just death), and the consequences are cumulative.

Drawing on her extensive knowledge of the mechanics and physiology of strangulation, forensic medical examiner Dr Jane Van Diemen emphasises that there is “no safe way to strangle”.

This is a message that young people need to hear as a matter of urgency.