According to preliminary findings of a government-financed study, Prozac was shown to be effective in treating teenagers with depression — most effective when used in combination with talk therapy. The study is the first comparison of various antidepressant treatments in adolescents, and it comes amid concern that such drugs may play a role in increasing suicidal thoughts and acts. According to researchers, five patients on Prozac and one on placebo attempted suicide; however, the number of patients in the study was too small to establish whether an increased risk actually exists, according to a Newsday report. The study, sponsored by the National Institute of Mental Health, was designed to address the controversy over benefits and risks of antidepressants for the treatment of adolescent depression, testing Prozac, talk therapy, a combination of the two and a placebo pill. The study involved 439 teenagers, ages 12 to 17, with moderate-to-severe depression. Of those recruited, 378 participants completed the first 12 weeks of treatment. Researchers collected data on the patients for a year. Seventy-one percent of those on the Prozac-talk-therapy combination had significant relief of symptoms, compared with 61 percent on Prozac alone and 43 percent in talk therapy alone. Even placebo patients showed improvement, with 35 percent saying they felt better.