Does talking about a problem repeatedly help or make it worse?

It depends on what the talking does. Sharing that produces new perspective, emotional processing or a decision generally helps. Repeatedly recounting the same account with the same framing to sympathetic listeners — co-rumination — tends to reinforce the pattern and can deepen low mood, even though it feels supportive. The distinguishing signal is whether the conversation moves anywhere. If you notice you have told the same story five times without any shift, changing what you ask for is useful: instead of another retelling, ask someone to help you decide something specific.