Sounds like a bit of discussing problems is beneficial.
Talking about them again and again just reinforces them.




Too much talk can hurtArticle from: ReutersFont size: Decrease Increase Email article: Email Print article: Print Submit comment: Submit comment July 30, 2007 12:00am

WOMEN who discuss all their problems with friends can be at an increased risk of developing depression and anxiety, contrary to conventional wisdom, a new study suggests.


The research, following 813 children and teenagers for six months, found that girls who devoted the most amount of time to talking about their problems with friends were more likely to develop depression or anxiety compared to those who did not.

Researchers suspect that such "co-rumination" causes some girls to dwell on fleeting problems such as boy trouble and party snubs, leading to persistent feelings of sadness, hopelessness or worry, the online journal Health 24 found.

To boot, girls who spend time hashing out their problems may leave little room for positive activities that could make them feel better, according to Dr Amanda J. Rose, an associate professor of psychological sciences at the University of Missouri-Columbia.

"Talking about problems in moderation definitely is healthy," Rose told Reuters Health. But, she said, "Co-rumination seems to be too much of a good thing."

The good part, Rose and her colleagues found, was that girls who tended to co-ruminate also tended to say they felt close to their friends. However, they were still more likely to show increasing depression and anxiety symptoms than other girls were.

In contrast, boys who discussed problems with their friends reported more positive friendships and had no increased risk of developing emotional difficulties.

The reason for the gender difference is not completely clear. One reason may be that girls are more likely than boys to take negative experiences to heart, feeling "personal responsibility" for them, according to Rose and her colleagues. Co-rumination may feed this tendency.