This week, September 12 is R U OK? day, reminding us to check in regularly with family and friends and support those who are struggling. I thought it only fitting to write a mental-health themed blog.  Australian Doctor magazine recently held a short story competition entitled From Where I Stand, and while I wasn’t the winner, I was happy with my little tale.  I should point out it’s fictional, a blend of stories from women I’ve treated over the last few years. I hope you appreciate it too. 

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I sit on the ground next to her, on the cold concrete outside the hospital wing. She’s sobbing, hunched in a tiny ball, clutching her chest like it’s the only thing keeping her from falling apart. She thinks she’s failed.

She came to see me in my clinic this morning, two rowdy kids and a three-month-old baby in…