Pearl Lorentzen
Lakeside Leader

Every strangulation is potentially deadly, because it takes very little pressure or time to cause serious damage, said Morag McLean on Nov. 24 at a violence prevention workshop in Slave Lake.

McLean is a registered nurse who works with victims of strangulation at women’s shelters in Edmonton area.

People of all ages and genders are victims of strangulation.

Women’s shelters and the RCMP screen for strangulation as it is very serious.

“Not all stranglers kill, but most killers strangle … strangulation is the warning shot,” a quote from Gael Strack, in the presentation.

“Strangulation is a predictor for future lethal violence,” said McLean. Victims of domestic abuse are 750 per cent more likely to be killed by their abuser if the abuser has strangled them in the past.

Although strangulation and choking are different, victims are more likely to tell someone that they were choked, so the strangulation screening uses both words.

Strangulation is pressure put on the neck from the outside. Choking is blocking the airway from the inside.

Both can be accidental or intentional.

One myth of strangulation is that it always leaves visible traces.

This is not true. Sometimes there are no outward signs, even when someone dies from strangulation, said McLean. Also, since strangulation causes brain damage and the victim is fighting for their life, when the police arrive. The victim might look like the attacker. The victim may have no physical injuries, be confused, erratic and aggressive. Whereas, the attacker may be calm, have scratch marks and bruises, and say that they were attacked. Victims may also have self-inflicted wounds from trying to pry the attacker’s hands, knees, or item the attacker wrapped around their throat.

The physical symptoms of strangulation, which can cause death within 48 hours, mimic cold symptoms, said McLean. This is why it is so important for people who have been strangled to seek medical assistance. Also, to tell the doctor that they were strangled, so they are not misdiagnosed.

Another myth is that strangulation during sex isn’t dangerous.

This is completely false, said McLean. Anytime someone is strangled, they could die. Strangulation is not an exact science, there is no way to know the outcome. People can have brain damage even if they do not lose consciousness.

She added, strangulation survival is not black and white. People can die up to 48 hours after they were strangled. Strangulation can cause a miscarriage. It can also cause very serious chronic health issues, including brain damage. Death of young people by stroke may be caused by them having been strangled years earlier.

One strangulation victim McLean knows will not be able to lie flat on her back for the rest of her life, because if she does she cannot breathe.