The Bay County Sheriff's Office along with the Bay County Health Department held a press conference Tuesday afternoon to raise awareness regarding a dangerous trend among area middle school students.

They say there has been a rise in the number of students taking part in very risky behavior, participating in something known as the “Choking Game,” which can prove to be fatal.

The “Choking Game,” also known as, “blackout,” “flatliner,” “suffocation roulette,” or “space monkey,” involves cutting off blood and oxygen flow to the brain by choking, hyperventilating, or compressing the chest.

Authorities say they've uncovered six cases among Bay County middle schools, but they suspect more have gone unreported.

Typical symptoms can include severe headaches, bruising or red marks around the neck, bloodshot eyes, disorientation, grogginess, and curiosity about asphyxiation or knots.

Depriving the brain of oxygen can create a short sense of euphoria, but there can be drastic consequences.

Any time the brain is deprived of oxygen, cells die. This can cause short term memory loss, seizures, strokes, permanent brain damage, retinal hemorrhaging, heart attack or even death.

"It's extraordinarily dangerous. They can certainly cause brain damage with this and, as Major Ford mentioned, death can result, and has resulted, in a number of cases," said Dr. Dennis Cookro, Director of Bay County’s Health Department.

"It kind of goes hand in hand with experimentation, ‘what feels good, how can I get high,’ that kind of thing. Whether it's alcohol, whether it's pills, whether it's the “Choking Game” or inhalants, this is just as deadly,” added Bryan Russell, Bay County Health Department Underage Drinking Prevention Chairperson.

"Parents, you need to talk to your kids about this. This is very serious. This isn't something we're making up. Believe me, we all have better things we'd rather be doing then talking about this, but we think it's essential that parents know what's going on,” said Bay County School Superintendent, Bill Husfelt.

The CDC recently surveyed 10,000 8th graders and found 36 percent of them had heard about the “Choking Game” and one in fifteen had actually tried it.

If you think your child may be one of them, experts recommend you seek mental health counseling immediately.