TY - JOUR T1 - Talc and mint imperials JF - British Journal of General Practice JO - Br J Gen Pract SP - 427 LP - 427 DO - 10.3399/bjgp12X653651 VL - 62 IS - 601 AU - Alistair Appleby Y1 - 2012/08/01 UR - http://bjgp.org/content/62/601/427.abstract N2 - ‘What would your Auntie say?’ I throw out for a response. My trainee rocks back, hoping I’ll stop being so stupid and ask something like, ‘What are the muscarinic side effects of quadracyclic antidepressants?’‘You know,’ I continue, ‘The Auntie who smells of mint imperials and talc and always says the right thing, always leaves you feeling better when you leave.’We are revisiting another of those situations where, after a long pause looking at his feet, a tearful patient has just mumbled something like, ‘I just don’t think I can go on’.This was rightly parried in usual trained fashion by my ST1 (isn’t that a disease?) with:‘Have you been thinking of harming yourself?’‘Excellent,’ I … ER -