Dr. Helen links a fascinating psychological study which found that high school age girls who "co-ruminate" (defined as "talk[ing] very excessively about their problems") are "greater risk of developing anxiety and depression":

The research was conducted by Amanda Rose, associate professor of psychological sciences in the College of Arts and Science. The six-month study, which included boys and girls, examined the effects of co-rumination - excessively talking with friends about problems and concerns. Rose discovered that girls co-ruminate more than boys, especially in adolescence, and that girls who co-ruminated the most in the fall of the school year were most likely to be more depressed and anxious by the spring.

"When girls co-ruminate, they're spending such a high percentage of their time dwelling on problems and concerns that it probably makes them feel sad and more hopeless about the problems because those problems are in the forefront of their minds. Those are symptoms of depression," Rose said. "In terms of anxiety, co-ruminating likely makes them feel more worried about the problems, including about their consequences. Co-rumination also may lead to depression and anxiety because it takes so much time - time that could be used to engage in other, more positive activities that could help distract youth from their problems. This is especially true for problems that girls can't control, such as whether a particular boy likes them, or whether they get invited to a party that all of the popular kids are attending."

It would not surprise me if these same girls turned out to be more likely to resort to self-medication with street drugs, alcohol, or even cigarettes. However, because of the way adults tend to look at these things, if a girl takes drugs and is later diagnosed as depressed the external factor of drugs is likely to be seen as a cause. (It's less likely that cigarettes would be blamed, although self medication is self medication, regardless of the choice of medication.)

OTOH, it is also possible that excessive talk about personal problems can magnify them, via the hysteria factor. In an earlier post about mass psychogenic illness, I discussed a girl's boarding school in Mexico in which the girls convinced themselves they were sick, and actually developed symptoms -- which of course disappeared when they were sent home:

Mass psychogenic disorder is a phenomenon that can be understood as resulting, in part, from the nocebo effect. Think of the nocebo effect as the opposite of the placebo effect. Instead of good thoughts or associations producing a positive outcome, bad thoughts and associations produce bad results.

Is it too politically incorrect of me to wonder whether home-schooled girls are less neurotic?

What's also probably politically incorrect (but nonetheless fascinating) is the study's additional finding that co-rumination between boys did not correlate with depression:

Ironically, although co-rumination was related to increased depression and anxiety, Rose also found that co-rumination was associated with positive friendship quality, including feelings of closeness between friends. Boys who co-ruminated also developed closer friendships across the school year but did not develop greater depressive and anxiety symptoms over time.

But might this lead to problems in dealing with depression later in life? Men are more reluctant than women to seek treatment for depression, or even admit they suffer from it. A lot of men simply tough it out through the bad stuff, and would rather self-medicate than see a shrink, much less check into a hospital.

(While this can lead to the loss of an important constitutional right, my speculations about depression in men is off-topic, and best left to other posts.)

Back to the study at hand, and co-ruminating girls:

"For years, we have encouraged kids to find friends who they can talk to about their problems, and with whom they can give and receive social support," Rose said. "In general, talking about problems and getting social support is linked with being healthy. What's intriguing about theses findings is that co-rumination likely represents too much of a good thing. Some kids, especially girls, are taking talking about problems to an extreme. When that happens, the balance tips, and talking about problems with friends can become emotionally unhealthy."

Rose said adolescents should be encouraged to talk about their problems, but only in moderation and without co-ruminating.

"They also should engage in other activities, like sports, which can help them take their minds off their problems, especially problems that they can't control," she said.

And what about blogging? Are My Space and Live Journal entries considered a form of "co-rumination"? If so, does that mean blogging can lead to (or be symptomatic of) depression?

I hope not. But fortunately, I'm a 53-year-old man and blogging actually tends to cheer me up.

(As long as I avoid blogging about topics like our hopelessly dysfunctional "ally," Saudi Arabia, I'm fine.)