Resident assistants (RAs) can serve as important suicide prevention gatekeepers. The purpose of the study was to determine if training improved RAs’ crisis communications skills and suicide‐related knowledge and to determine if the knowledge elements predicted crisis communications skills. New RAs showed significant improvement in all areas from pretest to posttest, whereas returning RAs showed no significant increase in any of the areas. None of the knowledge areas predicted communications skills for either group.

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IntroductionInhalant abuse among U.S. adolescents is a common occurrence. Unlike the illegal drugs, inhalants are readily available in an average household in many forms. According to the National Inhalant Prevention Coalition, between 100–125 deaths are attributed to inhalant abuse annually. We will describe a case of a Kenyan immigrant who developed acute psychotic episode following inhalation.Case reportA 17 year old Kenyan immigrant was brought to the ED after inhaling shoe polish. She has a history of PTSD from being raped while on the street in Kenya. She was later adopted and brought to the USA. Her psychotic symptoms resolved after she was treated with olanzapine 5mg.DiscussionMedical complications include, but are not limited to the following central nervous system, cardiovascular, pulmonary, gastrointestinal, renal, hematologic, and dermatologic. In addition to medical complications, there are psychiatric complications as well. Adolescents abusing inhalants may often present with hallucinations, emotional disturbances, inappropriate affect, manic symptoms, or suicidal ideation. Inhalant use has also been associated with conduct disorder in adolescents, as well as major depressive disorder and substance abuse disorder later in life.ConclusionThe use of inhalants to achieve a “high” continues to be a dangerous occurrence within the adolescent population. The consequences of inhalant abuse go beyond the immediate medical complications or social effects. An adolescent's mental health may be severely impaired, with psychiatric effects extending well into adulthood. Physicians and parents should be aware of the possibility of psychosis cause by inhalant abuse.