# People committing suicide via asphyxiation **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 14, 2014, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-committing-suicide-via-asphyxiation/695532 "2014-08-14T18:06:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Zapp\_S](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ee59a6/32.png) [@Zapp\_S](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zapp_S)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2014, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-committing-suicide-via-asphyxiation/695532/41 "2014-08-17T16:47:13Z")
> [@zoid](#): > > Plus once you kick the chair out from under you there’s pretty much no going back. > If you’re afraid you might have a change of heart at the last second and want to make sure you succeed that may be an important factor. If you change your mind just after jumping, how likely is it to pull yourself up by pulling on the rope above the noose with your arms, granted that you have not snapped your neck falling in the first place? I guess an average person could lift themselves at least a little bit to prevent asphyxiation, while fitter individuals might even un-noose themselves? ---
**Author:** ![CatherineZeta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@CatherineZeta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CatherineZeta)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2014, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-committing-suicide-via-asphyxiation/695532/42 "2014-08-18T00:46:34Z")
That sounds impossible, **Zapp S.** \*\*\*\*. Most people can’t even lift themselves up to do pull ups from a bar- how could someone lift themselves up on a rope? Anyway, I thought it added an extra layer of sadness when I read that Mary Richardson Kennedy’s body was found with her hands between her neck and the rope like she was trying to undo what she had done (probably was). [Cite](http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/05/16/new-questions-arise-about-mary-richardson-kennedy-s-suicide.html). ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2014, 11:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-committing-suicide-via-asphyxiation/695532/43 "2014-08-18T11:46:30Z")
> [@pkbites](#): > > And recently it’s become a more and more popular method. > > In fact I just had a case where the security guard at a parking structure reported a Subaru had been parked there for an excessive time (we’ve been getting a lot of stolen cars dumped in parking structures). When I approached the car the guy was on the floor in the back seat (😕 _Yeah, I don’t get it either)_ Dude…it was a Subaru! ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2014, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-committing-suicide-via-asphyxiation/695532/44 "2014-08-18T20:39:50Z")
> [@handsomeharry](#): > > Dude…it was a Subaru! 😕 You mean if he had a dodge he would have offed himself in the front seat? ---
**Author:** ![seanspotatobusiness](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/71c47a/32.png) [@seanspotatobusiness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seanspotatobusiness)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2016, 8:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-committing-suicide-via-asphyxiation/695532/45 "2016-06-20T08:54:46Z")
> [@pkbites](#): > > Who knows what people are thinking when they decide to bail. They’re obviously not in their right mind. > > I can’t give names or anything, but this guys circumstances are still a mystery. He lived over 200 miles away and had absolutely zero connection to this area. Never worked here, never lived here, never attended school here, had no relatives here, and according to his family no friends here. They are completely baffled as to why he left work [in good standing with his employer] and (according to the parking structure ticket) arrived in Milwaukee County 5 hours later. There was nothing of any significance to that parking structure, either. No concert or sports venues or theaters. There is a tech school close by but their admin said he had no connection to the school. > > Perhaps he figured if he was going to check out, keep everyone guessing. No, it’s pretty obvious that he didn’t want to be seen. If he was seen and “saved” then he might be forced to live with brain damage and that would be even worse. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2016, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-committing-suicide-via-asphyxiation/695532/46 "2016-06-22T01:18:19Z")
Death can occur via various means though: Broken neck from a high enough fall when hanging Blood flow cut off to the brain due to pressure on the carotid artery Asphyxiation The third one is unpleasant due to buildup of CO2. The other two are not nearly as bad I would assume. Both would probably cause you to lose consciousness within a few seconds. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2016, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-committing-suicide-via-asphyxiation/695532/47 "2016-06-22T02:47:43Z")
> [@zoid](#): > > Plus once you kick the chair out from under you there’s pretty much no going back. > If you’re afraid you might have a change of heart at the last second and want to make sure you succeed that may be an important factor. I saw a suicide in a movie once that still gives me nightmares. The person duct taped a plastic bag over their head and thenhandcuffed their hands behind their back. No going back from that. ---
**Author:** ![BClaptrap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3ab097/32.png) [@BClaptrap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BClaptrap)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2017, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-committing-suicide-via-asphyxiation/695532/48 "2017-11-07T22:50:57Z")
Actually, death by hanging when done right is very painless, as the veins around the neck are constricted and halt the blood flow to the brain, so the victim passes out within less than a minute, well before they feel the effects of asphyxiation. Dying by broken neck is much more painful. ---
**Author:** ![Toxylon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f05b48/32.png) [@Toxylon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxylon)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2017, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-committing-suicide-via-asphyxiation/695532/49 "2017-11-08T13:33:47Z")
Just read through this zombie, containing lots of support for the idea that hanging is usually quick and painless. A whole load of execution videos from the NE show this isn’t nearly always the case. Minutes of panicy writhing sure looks extremely painful, and those guys are hooded and cuffed, to hide much of the ordeal. ---
**Author:** ![Randolph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Randolph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Randolph)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2017, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-committing-suicide-via-asphyxiation/695532/50 "2017-11-08T14:55:49Z")
One of the details in Aaron Hernandez’s recent suicide that stuck with me: He covered the floor of his cell with soap before hanging himself from a waist-level anchor, so that if he lost his nerve he wouldn’t be able to regain his footing. ---
**Author:** ![dstarfire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dstarfire/32/5762_2.png) [@dstarfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dstarfire)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2017, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-committing-suicide-via-asphyxiation/695532/51 "2017-11-08T21:35:59Z")
One problem with a lot of other suicide methods is the possibility of only partially succeeding. You’re still alive, but now you’re massively injured, with a very painful recovery process, the probability of greatly reduced physical ability, huge medical bills, and seeing everybody around you traumatized. All of that is **in addition to** whatever problems drove you to suicide in the first place. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2017, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-committing-suicide-via-asphyxiation/695532/52 "2017-11-09T17:55:17Z")
> [@dstarfire](#): > > One problem with a lot of other suicide methods is the possibility of only partially succeeding. You’re still alive, but now you’re massively injured, with a very painful recovery process, the probability of greatly reduced physical ability, huge medical bills, and seeing everybody around you traumatized. All of that is **in addition to** whatever problems drove you to suicide in the first place. But look at the positive aspect: All of the original problems that drove you to suicide in the first place now seem petty or irrelevant by comparison! ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2017, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-committing-suicide-via-asphyxiation/695532/53 "2017-11-09T22:09:42Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > But look at the positive aspect: All of the original problems that drove you to suicide in the first place now seem petty or irrelevant by comparison! Sadly, this isn’t true in most cases, if ever. And **dstarfire** mentions “everybody else traumatized”; well, now you too are, and have one more hell to pass through that you can’t even kill yourself properly. ---
**Author:** ![BClaptrap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3ab097/32.png) [@BClaptrap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BClaptrap)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2017, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-committing-suicide-via-asphyxiation/695532/54 "2017-11-10T15:02:39Z")
The most painless way to do it is without a stool, just to suspend oneself from a door and lean forward. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-committing-suicide-via-asphyxiation/695532.md?page=2)