It's up from over 6,500 prescriptions in 2012.
(Source: publicdomainpictures.net)The Health Minister says he's concerned by the level of prescriptions of anti-depressants in children.
They have risen by 130 percent in the space of ten years.
According to the Irish Times in 2022 the number had soared to over 15 thousand.
The paper says representatives in the mental health sector are concerned about a 'growing crisis' in being able to meet the needs of children and young people seeking help.
Figures from the HSE show 6,541 anti- depressant prescriptions were issued to children under the age of 15 in 2012.
Health Minister Stephen Donnelly says there's a need to understand why there is a growing demand for them:
'I engaged with our chief medical officer to say I wanted a full review of the prescribing that's going on.'
'The advice I have is that Ireland, we had high levels of prescriptions on anti- depressants.'
'We need to understand this very well.'
