I had a pretty substantial struggle with depressive episodes for a good part of my life and went through the mill with drugs and talk.
There was one occasion when I was completely convinced that one of the drugs dramaticly relieved the depression. Other times, it was trying one and then another. Of course, Paxil is among those that I tried and it is scary stuff, IMO. These drugs definitely do something to your head although, in my experience, it is usually not relieve depression.
The rest of the story: I seemed to age out of it. My life, even now, is not filled with tangerine trees and marmalade skies. But I muddle through and rarely now conceptualize my dreary days as "depression."
Actually, I think you put it better than I did. "Aging out of it" may be a large part of it.
And not dealing with peer pressure anymore, realizing I may be a little different, and maybe that's okay after all. I spent a large part of my 20's and 30's thinking there was something wrong with me and that brought on alot of the depression.
Acceptance of yourself is a large part of the equation, I think. Of course as long as you're a functioning part of society and not a mass-murderer or anything. ;)