The number of prescriptions for antidepressants issued to children in Westmeath/Longford over the last ten years stands at 387 for those aged 0-11 years old and 775 for those 12-15 years.
Children in Ireland have been prescribed antidepressants on more than 30,000 occasion in that time, it was revealed.
Last year nationwide, young children aged 15 and under were prescribed the medication on 3,290 occasions and children younger than 11 were prescribed them on 909 occasions with similar figures the previous year.
There has been a marked increase from 2017 of children being prescribed antidepressants. In Westmeath, a GP we spoke to confirmed more young people were presenting with symptoms of depression, citing the Covid lockdowns as a factor.
