>>Depression is real, and a result of (pick one) [childhood environment/alcohol-abuse/drug-abuse/poor self-esteem/the choices you have made in life].<<
None of the above. It is a result of complex chemical interactions/imbalances in the brain. Real depression can be treated with drugs specifically to correct these imbalances. This has been proven innumerable times with complete success.
The others are versions of sadness.
That's like explaining obesity by stating that the stomach has acids that digest what we ingest.
The 'issue' is 'what' causes these complex interactions and/or imbalances.
I used to suffer from severe depression. Thoughts of suicide, tried it once (seriously) as a teenager.
Now? Sometimes for a day or an hour, or even a couple of weeks at the most, (but nothing as severe as before) but I know what to do about it.
The “drug solution” is not the real cure; some psychoactive drugs may help a person for a short while - none are meant to be lifelong anyway - until the person can figure out what is wrong with their life choices, or begins to realize that emotions can be controlled, tamed and ultimately changed. The mind does not have to be one’s master.
And some people are by nature more dour and some more jolly. It’s the way the world is. Just like some people have a gimpy leg and some don’t. Some have more prone to anger, or lust, or greed, or are more critical of others, more impatient, more feelings of hopeless, or cheer, rosy colored glasses, etc.
Life is meant for education - to learn lessons, and popping pills to numb what we are experiencing is not the solution.
The person is not the brain, the brain changes with use and what we focus on; the brain is not the engine. The soul is the engine.