Last night I was catching up on some of the Newsweek issues that arrived while I was in Europe. A short column on blogging particularly caught my eye. According to mental health experts, blogging is a new form of medicine.

The column says mental health experts are beginning to see blogging as a very therapeutic practice — more so than regular diaries, “chiefly because of its built-in audience.” Not only that, but an upcoming study mentioned in the column will show that bloggers may be happier than the blogless. Because of this, blogging is now being incorporated in some psychiatric/psychological therapy. I’m not surprised — the counselor I went to all throughout college encouraged me to write, and even gave me handouts about studies proving how cathartic and helpful writing is for those suffering from depression and anxiety.

Another perk of blogging, the column says, is that it “fulfills the primal need for sympathy.” It keeps us from isolation, and when we need help, it arrives via comments (well, that depends on the success of the blog).

It also says the anonymity of the blog is therapeutic because “it’s high intimacy with low vulnerability.” This is actually more complicated than it sounds since anonymity varies blog-to-blog. Some blogs, such as My Open Wallet, are completely anonymous — all we know is that the author is a single professional woman living in New York. There are other blogs where you know the first name of the person and see their pictures, but don’t know their last name or day job (I suppose mine is that way). I’m pretty happy with that level of anonymity. Then there are those like Penelope Trunk, who is one of my all-time favorite bloggers. She puts everything out on the table, and it’s no secret who she is, what she does, where she lives, etc. I would be happy to be that open, but it could affect my day job, and I cannot risk that.

Even more interesting, the column concludes by saying if you reveal too much in your blog, you can feel shame and guilt, so you should make sure not to spill all the beans online. The aforementioned Penelope gets extremely personal, blogging about going to marriage counseling and her first few dates post-divorce. For some people, that works (though you have to have tough skin — not all comments are friendly). Others will feel remorse after revealing too much, so only write as much as you feel comfortable. If you have a tendency to reveal to much, before you publish, ask yourself if your mother would object to anything you have written about. That might help.

I definitely agree with almost everything the column said. I have only had this blog for a few weeks, but I’ve been blogging at work since late last year and truly enjoy the interaction it provides. Back in high school I had a Xanga where I wrote about my personal life, and while it was much more cathartic, it got dramatic very fast. I’ll never go that far again, but I do love blogging and the online community it provides.

Have you felt the therapeutic benefits of blogging?