Can you fake unconsciousness

If someone remains unconscious for more than a minute, get help as quickly as possible. If you suspect that the cause is excessive heat, move the person to a cooler place. Lay the person on her back, elevating the legs eight to 12 inches. This will help blood flow to the brain. Wipe her forehead with a cool damp cloth. Loosen any tight clothing, especially at the neck and waist. If she is alert, give her a sports drink such as Gatorade or a glass of water with a teaspoon of salt.

Also, make sure there is plenty of fresh air, particularly if you suspect carbon monoxide poisoning. Check the ABCs -- airway, breathing, and circulation. Gently tilt the victim's head back, lifting the chin.

This will help air get through the nose and mouth. Put your ear to the person's mouth to make sure you can hear breathing. If the victim is not breathing, call and begin cardiopulmonary resuscitation CPR immediately. If the victim vomits, roll her onto her side to prevent her from choking. Check for injuries, especially if the person has fallen. If the victim is bleeding or injured, begin appropriate first aid.

Because it is scary when someone does not quickly regain consciousness, some people panic and do the wrong thing. Emedicine Consumer Health. Heart Rhythm Society. Fainting Syncope. Mandibular pressure is applied with the index and middle finger pushing upward and inward at the angle of the mandible. Ammonia is toxic. It causes closure of the glottis and can activate the mammalian diving reflex i. Ultimately, ammonia can lead to hypoxemia.

In most patients, this may not pose a problem. But if the patient has a disease that interferes with breathing or oxygen delivery e.

And, as occurred in the case of Anderson, the presence of the disease may not be known. Conclusion Remember two of the most fundamental aspects of medicine: First, always serve as an advocate for your patient. Never assume your patient is faking.

Second, primum non nocere first, do no harm. Never administer a treatment or procedure that will possibly harm your patient. EMS Today. Administration and Leadership Patient Care Trauma. Interview: U. Fire Administrator Lori Moore-Merrell. Because these two regions of the brain are located far apart from each other, it is pretty easy to tell the difference between yes and no. From that point on, we can ask the patient pertinent questions.

In the future, it may be possible to read brain signals using scalp electrodes and a brain-computer interface. This would make communication much quicker and less costly than with a brain scanner. This difficult problem causes the patients to concentrate, and their pupils will dilate slightly as a result. If we direct a camera at their eyes and a computer analyzes the signals, we can determine quite quickly whether the intended answer is positive or negative.

He suffered a stroke that left him with locked-in syndrome. He wrote an entire book—on which the movie was based—by blinking his one remaining functional eye. Yes, by transcranial direct-current stimulation. Using scalp electrodes, we can stimulate particular regions of the brain.

By careful placement, we can select the region responsible for speech, which is connected with consciousness. If I stimulate this region of the brain, the patient may hear and understand what I say. In some cases, a patient has been able to communicate transiently for the first time after a minute stimulation—by, for example, making a simple movement in response to a question. Other patients have been able to follow a person with their eyes.

Although consciousness does not reside in our muscles, stimulating patients may enable them to move muscles consciously. This technique works in about half of patients with minimal consciousness. In my opinion, this represents the future of treatment, even though we do not yet know precisely which regions of the brain are the most responsive to stimulation or whether they should be stimulated on a daily basis.

We are still faced with the question of the minimum acceptable quality of life. This is a major philosophical and ethical problem that will be answered differently by different people. I would recommend that everyone discuss these issues in advance with a trusted person. Then you will know that, if you are ever in that position, your desires and values will be taken into account.

We already know quite a bit about the brain processes that underlie attention, perception and emotions. There is no point in throwing this knowledge out the window. As a neurologist, I see the consequences of brain damage every day. It remains to be discovered whether the brain is the entire story.

Scientific research has to be conducted with an open mind. The topic of consciousness is rife with philosophical implications and questions. When you first open your eyes, don't immediately start talking. Look confused for a few seconds, then you can ask what happened. If you open your eyes and start jabbering, it won't be realistic. Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0. If you think you can't fall realistically then fake faint when one or two people are close enough to see that you fell but not so close that they notice it was not real.

Avoid smiling or laughing while pretending to faint, or you may blow your cover. You may need to practice before you make it look real.

Find a way that doesn't cause you much pain or discomfort, such as practicing on a carpet or barefoot on a bed. If you do decide to fall forward, avoid putting your arms out to stop yourself at all costs.

As this is a reflex action, it would be best to practice a lot beforehand. If you're worried about falling fast and hurting yourself, pretend to faint beside something you can hold onto. People are sometimes aware as they begin to black out that something is happening and have time to grab something and lower themselves. However, when you fall, let your grip be loose. Having something to catch, even just momentarily, will slow your descent slightly and reduce the risk of actual injury.

To really play it safe when practicing this act, do it on a carpet or, better yet, on a bed and barefooted when you start out. Try fake fainting against a wall, so that the wall can brace your fall a little.

When falling in an open area, make sure you won't hit anything or anyone, as this might cause unintended consequences or injury. Most often, a faint is a loss of full control, but not a loss of all control, as in a gradual black-out, not a limp dish rag falling to the floor. A good way to fall is just before falling, pivot your foot inwards a bit and you'll land on your knee really quickly before lying on your side. Consider letting someone know about your fake fainting spell.

People may try to tickle you and try to shake you awake so do not laugh or smile as this will blow your cover, so you'd need to practice. If you can't fake it, make it seem like you just saw something disgusting. If you are sitting down, try to hold your head and complain that you feel rather giddy. Then continue doing your work and suddenly fall forward. Hit the table with a loud bang to attract more attention. Be with one or two people and you could get them in on the joke - but make sure you don't tell too many people or people you don't trust.

When you "wake up" from a faint, be sure to look confused. And sometimes to give better effect, you can ask someone by you preferably a friend to help you sit up. When you do so, act a little light headed again and lean on them, just to make it seem more real. You can even cry--if you can--so that the people around you feel compassion toward you, and it makes it more convincing.

Submit a Tip All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published. Don't fake faint over and over again, or overdo it; people may think something is seriously wrong with you, and they also may call an ambulance.

Helpful Not Helpful Don't say "what happened? However, you can ask someone what happened a few minutes later, maybe adding "Did I look silly? When "falling" make sure if you're going fast to have an open place so you can't hit anything or someone, or cause an injury.

Always be careful! If you immediately resume your previous activity, you're going to look suspicious. Take a moment to sit quietly resting your head between your legs. Don't do it if you want to trick police into not arresting you. It could get you into bigger trouble. Don't hyperventilate unless you want someone to call the ambulance.

If you do plan something to that extent, make it to where your heart rate is a bit out of the normal range. Related wikiHows How to. How to. Co-authors: Updated: November 4, Categories: Feigning Illness Acting Injured. Article Summary X To pretend to faint, start by complaining that you have symptoms that lead to fainting, like dizziness, feeling hot, or hunger.

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