You are using the term "depression" but in actuality are speaking only of mild, everyday mood disorders among functioning individuals, not clinical depression.
I have seen clinically depressed patients for whom the word "gratitude" would no longer have meaning, as they are so deeply despairing. For these patients only the hope of being put out of their misery somehow would evoke a feeling of hope or gratitude. They might offer the letters D - Death or S - Suicide. Patients with this degree of disabling depression would not be at all uncommon in a clinical setting.
Word games aren't going to do the trick with this population, believe me.
I work with all levels. From those who have attempted suicide several times, people who are dying of terminal illness to those who are experiencing mild depression or cyclical depression and manic episodes. It doesn’t matter. There are many tools in the tool box, each depending upon the specific circumstances of the individual.
While I do not promote the antidepressants or the atypical antidepressants, I do see their need as they save lives. Like painkillers, I would hope individuals can decrease their intake by solving the root problem rather than taking them for the remainder of their lives. Unlike many, I do not see a biochemical imbalance as permanent and seek to find the root cause of the imbalance. Experience has shown that their is virtually always a consciousness driven stored experience that created the perception programming that is generating the biochemical imbalance.