Platform 51 Cornwall hosted a visit for local MP, Sarah Newton, last week where she met girls and women the charity works with to talk about their experiences and the services Platform 51 provides.
The charity supports girls and women across Cornwall through services such as support for young mothers, support for young women in care and delivering work with female ex-offenders to support them in the community.
Platform 51 is currently campaigning to improve support and interventions available for girls and women experiencing mental health problems.
The charity is calling on the Department of Health to commission a review into the use of antidepressants after it found that over half of women on antidepressants had not been offered an alternative to drugs when they were prescribed, and that a quarter had waited a year or more for a review of their treatment.
After the visit, Sarah Newton said: “I was really pleased to see the vital work that Platform 51 does to support girls and women in my constituency. The young women I met were inspiring. They had overcome huge problems of parental neglect, abuse or mental health problems to have a positive attitude to their futures. I heard how the services this excellent charity provides make an enormous difference to women’s lives and help get their lives on track.
“Their current campaign highlights how critical good mental health is and the need for the right responses to be available at the right time. With one in four people suffering with from poor mental health at times in their life, it is important for people to be able not only receive medical help but also support from groups such as Platform 51. Their report recognises the important role that antidepressants can play in treatment of mental health problems but I think their findings highlight the need for a review of how they are currently being used.”