Erotic asphyxiation

Erotic asphyxiation is a sexual act where strangling is used to increase sexual pleasure. It can result in accidental death. If a person is doing it alone, it is called autoerotic asphyxiation.

Autoerotic asphyxiation is a sexual act where someone restricts their own breathing for sexual pleasure.

It has been documented since about the 17th century. At first it was used as a treatment of erectile dysfunction. The idea for this most likely came from watching people who were executed by hanging. Observers at public hangings noted that male victims developed an erection, sometimes remaining after death (a death erection), and occasionally ejaculated when being hanged.

There are different methods to achieve the level of oxygen depletion needed. Examples include hanging, suffocation with a plastic bag over the head, and self-strangulation. or combination of these. Complicated devices are sometimes used to produce the desired effects. The practice can be dangerous even if performed with care. It has has resulted in many accidental deaths. Uva (1995) writes "Estimates of the mortality rate of autoerotic asphyxia range from 250 to 1000 deaths per year in the United States." Cases have also been reported in Scandinavia and Germany. Swedish police reported in 1994 that the number of autoerotic asphyxiation fatalities in the Stockholm area (c. 1.7 million inhabitants) were at least five annually, but the number of unrecorded cases was assumed to be high. Autoerotic asphyxiation may often be mistaken for suicide, which is a major cause of death in teenagers.