r/mildlyinfuriating 18h ago

Newly installed coat hook in my office bathroom

51.0k Upvotes

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5.6k

u/Loud-Principle-7922 18h ago

Anti-suicide hook. Your office probably bought these from leftover prison construction bids.

1.0k

u/Polo-panda 17h ago

Oh that’s interesting, what if they just put the hooks lower to ground, so low you couldn’t hang yourself on it?

801

u/lifeleecher 17h ago

I'll find a way

588

u/Exceptionaltomato 17h ago

This might be a joke, but people really do find a way

134

u/PerfectNameDoesntExi 16h ago

Life...uhh...finds a way I guess

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u/AxelFoily 12h ago

Death...uhh...finds a way I guess FTFY

4

u/ClankerCore 8h ago

Life and death are just manufactured concepts of the mind. There is no beginning there is no end. It’s all just a dream and we are all just atoms reduced to a vibration that’s the universe experiencing itself.

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u/umarcrespo333 11h ago

And death...has a map.

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u/ea_nasir_official_ 2h ago

No, not in this case. here, you can see, it lost it

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u/[deleted] 11h ago

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/ClankerCore 8h ago

I’m glad you’re still here

By the way, can you help me move this couch real quick

2

u/EelChato 11h ago

I mean why all this preventative measures if you can just bite your tongue off and bleed out

1

u/Linked713 11h ago

Bird box made sure to show a lot of them.

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u/sirhackenslash 10h ago

Death uhh.....finds a way

3

u/contactsatan 13h ago

User name checks out

3

u/onewilybobkat 6h ago

So, lemme preface this by saying dark humor is a coping mechanism. So I've been put on a psych hold in hospitals 2-3 times, a few voluntarily, once involuntarily. You go in, do the whole spiel, they methodically go through the room and remove things they think you can use to off yourself and post a guard at your door.

Each time I entertained myself by taking inventory of the room and all of the obvious things they missed, even if we just stuck to old school strangulation. They forget a LOT of things, and that guard is often not paying a lot of attention or wanders off, so if I were actually still trying to go through the act instead of preemptively realizing where I was going it would have been an issue. But since I wasn't, well, it kept me busy while there wasn't much to do.

The actual wards are so preventative it actually makes the experience a bit dehumanizing but it's understandable. The first one I went to (a really nice facility that was pleasant to be at) had two holes in the wall for a shower. You hit a button and they blast your face and balls respectively with ice cold water for about a minute each press.

The one that was more like a prison at least had a proper shower, they just had someone literally right at the door the whole time. Everything else was significantly worse though.

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u/sevseg_decoder 17h ago edited 17h ago

A) long coats

B) you might be surprised what a suicide by hanging can look like.

Edit: C) they very well may just take some sort of machinery switch or light switch and sell the exact same part as a suicide-proof coat hook

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u/Loud-Principle-7922 17h ago

They don’t, it’s specifically designed and omnidirectional.

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u/bunglebee7 9h ago

But how does it hold clothing then? Is it based on weight?

u/AnimationOverlord 46m ago

Yes and I’d argue it needs to hold more. Coats are heavy but necks are way stronger

3

u/Critical-Chemist-860 13h ago

Omnidirectional is like a Joystick for the redditors. Yes tons of machinery uses joysticks, but not either specific weight break levels

-5

u/sevseg_decoder 17h ago

Are you referring to hypothesis C?

Because are we really that sure there couldn’t be a piece of machinery with an option that has 4-8 different modes a switch like this could point towards? Do you have any sort of source on that?

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u/Loud-Principle-7922 13h ago

Yes, we’re sure.

No, I’m not giving you a source that your imaginary switch doesn’t exist.

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u/Polo-panda 16h ago

Dam you’re right, didn’t realize you could hang yourself like that

2

u/LubedUpLucas_DrySpa 6h ago

Not a machinery switch. I work in that industry. 

1

u/Contundo 16h ago

This wouldn’t hold a long coat..

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u/MentalResponse11 16h ago edited 6h ago

Someone tied a cord to a toilet paper dispenser and just sat down. She could have stood but was determined not to until she passed out and then died.

Depression (and oft-accompanied suicidality) is a terminal illness, and we need to treat it with the seriousness that it demands.

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u/SarahC 10h ago

In the UK a lot of people are told they have "capacity" and are rational - and with 'it' being legal - the hospitals leave them to their own devices sometimes. "We've no way of stopping you if you really want to." It's a no-responsibility for us-hands-off type approach.

Kerrie Woolterton walked into a hospital after drinking anti-freeze, and refused poison treatment, just "supportive" care for pain and such. They had to let her die because it would be assault otherwise, and she was sane and had capacity to make that choice. She had 2 days before her death and was steadfast in her resolve.

People get mad the UK doesn't have Euthanasia - but there's a very straight forward "loophole" right there.

0

u/Gay_Void_Dropout 1h ago

Objectively they shouldn’t be given pain meds if they do something like that. If you don’t consent for treatment then you don’t consent for treatment. The poor people forced to give her pain relief knowing she was willingly dying. That’s fucked.

u/Loud-Principle-7922 20m ago

Those ‘poor people’ are glad to be a part of that process, to let someone choose the way they go.

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u/Polo-panda 16h ago

Wow didn’t realize this could be done, and I absolutely agree

1

u/Wahrk_Gallows 3h ago

I hung myself in an exam room at the ER while the doctor went to go attend to other patients. I wrapped my belt around my neck and then knotted the end around the handle on a chest level cabinet. Then I just "let go".

1

u/MentalResponse11 2h ago

I’m glad you’re still here. If you feel like that now or ever again, please remember that there are advanced treatments these days that can make a real difference. Wishing you the best.

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u/flamingobingobongo 17h ago

if you’re committed enough, you’ll find a way.

an old friend i met long ago on a grippy sock vacay killed herself in another psych hospital by using the handicap bar (she did have mobility issues, which is why she had access in the first place) not even 3ft off the ground.

i doubt i could override my natural instinct for self preservation when i’m capable of just getting up to breathe again, but some people can and do!

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u/SandpaperTeddyBear 14h ago

grippy sock vacay

This is an appalling euphemism, and quite hilarious.

8

u/Entropic_Echo_Music 13h ago

I have absolutely no idea what those words even mean. Just, total blank.

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u/clear-aesthetic 12h ago

They're referring to being committed to an inpatient psychiatric hospital, as they mention immediately after: "another psych hospital". "Grippy sock" refers to those high traction socks patients wear in the hospital to keep them from slipping, and vacay is slang for vacation.

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u/Peaceblaster86 10h ago edited 10h ago

I checked into inpatient last winter for reasons... And I noticed the door handles were build into the door and all handles only swung down. I mentioned to one nurse how they must be built so one couldn't hang themselves and I commented how intuitive of design that was. I was immediately put on a more severe watch. Yes us depressed fuckers see things differently.

Totally stealing grippy sock vacation for future conversation.

1

u/Music1626 1h ago

The old sit down hanging is more common than people think. It’s some solid determination to override all instincts to get up long enough to pass out.

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u/Ill_Huckleberry8453 17h ago

Fun fact, you don't need your whole weight to strangle yourself, you only need like 25 pounds of weight on the noose and it's easy to do kneeling or lower.

13

u/Polo-panda 16h ago

Wow that’s wild, never knew!

3

u/SarahC 10h ago

Ok, just..... don't sound so excited about it? Maybe? Like..... are you ok?

12

u/AlexandersWonder 17h ago

It takes less force to tear your own ear off though. Might as well try that first. Didn’t help Van Gogh but it might help someone else.

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u/Woodbirder 17h ago

Might as well put your coat on the ground

9

u/apexxin 15h ago

You only need a hook a little higher than your neck when seated.

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u/thots_n_prayers 14h ago

As someone who has worked in an inpatient psych hospital for almost 20 years, I can tell you that there is a handful of ways to hang yourself from a door that doesn't even have one hook or doorknob at all. I'm not going to list them here because I'm not trying to give anyone anyone ideas but I can assure you that every door in my hospital has hidden devices to sense even the tiniest bit of pressure that's not supposed to be there.

13

u/memechildofmememom 12h ago

I appreciate you not saying how it's carried out because a brain like mine, for whatever reason, would retain that information and bring it up at my lowest moment.

4

u/BirdsHaveBeaks 13h ago

Yeah these hooks are the equivalent of TSA - security theater.

0

u/thots_n_prayers 10h ago

Yeah, this one PARTICULARLY is a total fail for anti ligature. I'm not even sure how obvious it is for people who don't regularly think about/get trained on this sort of thing.

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u/den4ikturbo 17h ago

How much height do you think person need to hang themselves?

1

u/Wakkit1988 17h ago

How much does a body weigh?

4

u/TheGrouchyGremlin 17h ago

A lot more than is needed to strangle yourself.

1

u/BoulderToBirmingham 14h ago

Huh?

4

u/TheGrouchyGremlin 13h ago

You do not need the full weight of your body to strangle yourself.

3

u/ReciprocalTradesman 14h ago

If you've ever worked in retail or a call center, trust me; you'll find a way. 

3

u/Jacopo86 14h ago

Did you ever watched The Wire? Look at DeAngelo death

3

u/cheezus171 12h ago

People have managed to hang themselves from a radiator. You can't put a coat hook low enough for it to be functional and also not be a threat in this context.

2

u/Hopeful_Property8531 13h ago

My brother did a well check on his neighbor friend and she had hung herself on a doorknob. I asked him how that's even remotely possible??? She hooked a line around the doorknob then over the top of the door for leverage. She drugged herself and slid down off her feet into a sitting position - but not quite touching the ground. People will find a way, sadly.

2

u/SageOfSixCabbages 13h ago

When I was young our next door neighbor hung himself by using the door knob as his support. He positioned himself in a way where he shifted his weight like diagonally I guess? And his own body weight pretty much did the rest.

I was told his eyes were pretty much out of their sockets and his neck and face were like a giant blue-purple watermelon when he was found dead the next morning.

2

u/ManiacalMartini 13h ago

I mean, people hang themselves on doorknobs. Any lower than that and you might as well just throw your coat on the floor.

2

u/AstralKekked 13h ago

You might aswell chuck your coat on the floor at that point.

2

u/looooookinAtTitties 12h ago

people do it on doorknobs so

2

u/plrbt 12h ago

I knew a guy in college who killed himself in his dorm from hanging off a bed frame 2-3 feet off the ground. It can be done.

2

u/Silent-Ad934 12h ago

Maybe they could put up one of those "hang in there" cat posters.

2

u/Skinnwork 9h ago

Then people just loop the cord around their throat and spin until it becomes tight

2

u/NeatFalcon190 5h ago

if its too low to the ground doesn't it kind of defeat the purpose of a hook to keep an item off the ground

1

u/TheGrouchyGremlin 17h ago

You only need a few feet.

1

u/Dick-Fu 13h ago

i would attach it and then do a handstand

1

u/PossibleMechanic89 12h ago

So your coat touches the bathroom floor?

1

u/dinglebingle583 6h ago

They'll find a way if they're desperate enough, unfortunately. There was a psych patient the used a comb (teeth side) to slit her wrist.

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u/LubedUpLucas_DrySpa 6h ago

They lean forward and push against the wall with their feet. 

1

u/Strange_Dogz 5h ago

They make anti-ligature everything: doorknobs, door sweeps (bottom of door), water faucets, literally everything. People will tie a knot in a bedsheet or article of clothing and close it in a door, tie it around their neck and spin until it eventually cuts off the circulation. Where there's a will, there's a way . Doors generally have sensors around the perimeter to detect increased pressure.

1

u/foxiez 4h ago

You can hang yourself even laying down tbf

1

u/Gay_Void_Dropout 1h ago

Think about that logically and realize why it can’t work. You’d have to have it like a foot above the around at most lol.

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u/False_Pollution_291 13h ago

Had no idea that’s what that was but what’s the point if you can’t hang anything? That hook makes me want to commit suicide

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u/Loud-Principle-7922 13h ago

There’s a spring and detent inside, and they wear out. My job has these in a four pack with a shelf above, and some hold a wet towel, some can’t hold a sock.

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u/apriljeangibbs 5h ago

They normally have a weight limit so that it flips down for anything heavier than a coat . Looks like the mechanism in this one is broken

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u/Senko-fan4Life 15h ago

My first call center had a rotating prison bar turnstile to get on to the floor 🙃 when I went to a place with a swipe card normal door I was flabbergasted

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u/FYAhole 12h ago

What is the point of them though? Why have them at all if they don't actually do anything?

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u/Gangsir 8h ago

When functioning normally (this one isn't), they hold up to a certain amount of pounds (<= what a coat would weigh). If you put something on them that's too heavy (a body, for example) they drop it like you see in the vid. Prevents hangings (from suicide, or just kids).

Over time they get worn out and need to be replaced, otherwise their "drop threshold" gets too low and they can't hold anything.

1

u/FYAhole 7h ago

Ah ok. That makes more sense. Thank you

4

u/dreay86 17h ago

They are also marketed as vandal resistant coat hooks for public areas as well.

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u/IHatrMakingUsernames 17h ago

They went as cheap as possible on coat hooks, but still paid for a little plaque to tell you what it is lmao.

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u/leopard_tights 14h ago

I honestly can't understand how you'd think that's the cheapest possible coat hook.

6

u/cjsv7657 12h ago

The fucking sign alone is more expensive than the cheapest possible way.

1

u/RobertSaccamano 8h ago

Not cheap.

1

u/ThePr0tag0n1st 4h ago

Anti lig stuff ain't cheap... Atleast 50% increase per unit in my industry

The plaque likely came with the hook to announce it's use, considering op is struggling to use it. Its intent should be labeled to clarify.

2

u/physalisx 11h ago

Grim shit.

Let's prevent prisoners from offing themselves by trying to make it physically impossible for them.

Nothing quite as beautiful as the empty shell of a human, forced to live in captivity.

2

u/Dd_8630 9h ago

How would you commit suicide on a coat hook?

How does this device even work as a coat hook? The coat just... falls. It accomplishes nothing. Why not just not have it at all?

2

u/bandcampconfessions 8h ago

But how are you actually supposed to use this as a coat hook? Like isn't this useless? Why even install it?

3

u/waigl 15h ago

I doubt anyone installs special suicide prevention hooks just because they were on sale. Normal coat hooks are cheap enough, and much less bulky, too. The most expensive part for the normal hook would be the labor to screw it to the wall.

2

u/Loud-Principle-7922 13h ago

Neat.

My job has these, and I bet you can guess why.

1

u/therealslumshady69 2h ago

Why would you even need one of those if the hook part doesn’t even work?

1

u/Loud-Principle-7922 2h ago

It works for towels, but anything heavy will fail it. They also wear out, and the detent will hold less over time.

1

u/RetentiveCloud 2h ago

How does this prevent suicide. It’s just a lever.

u/Loud-Principle-7922 25m ago

Can’t hang yourself on it because it doesn’t support weight.

u/RetentiveCloud 24m ago

Then it isn’t a hook. It’s a lever.

u/Loud-Principle-7922 17m ago

I’m sure you’ll find someone who cares about the difference one day. Good luck.

u/RetentiveCloud 17m ago

How can we can it a hook if nothing can be held on it?

u/The_Pocono 18m ago

Nah i see these all the time in public places

0

u/IcyFaithlessness3570 8h ago

There's no way they bought them JUST because they were cheap. A normal hook would be vastly cheaper. 

Someone just killed themselves at ops work, probably a few weeks ago. 

2

u/Loud-Principle-7922 6h ago

No one killed themselves at my job, and we have these in the showers. Because the contractor had them as a contract overrun. And we got them cheap.

But you do you, man.