Almost 500 of the children were under the age 11.
Over 3,300 children under the age of 15 got anti-depressant medication last year.
According to freedom of information files, it's a 55% increase on five years earlier.
These figures show the number of children who got anti-depressant medication in recent years.
They relate to prescriptions written under the Medical Card Scheme, the Drug Payment Scheme and the Long-Term Illness Scheme.
A total of 3,310 children under 15 got anti-depressants under these schemes last year.
That's 200 more than the year before - and nearly 1,200 more than in 2016.
Of the children prescribed anti-depressants last year, 495 were under the age of 11.
Professor of psychiatry in Trinity College Dublin, Brendan Kelly, says it's not the typical treatment:

O'Connell Street Cleared After Major Garda Operation
Galway Port Protest Cleared Following Garda Operation
Rosslare Europort Faces Disruption Amid Fuel Protests
Fuel Protests Force Major Road Closures Across Leinster
Artemis 11 Lands Safely
Fuel Blockades Continue
Protestors, Including Kildare's John Dallon, Refused Entry From Government And Agriculture Bodies Meeting
Artemis II Prepares To Splash Down Off US Coast