The idea of depression as a choice is as much bullshit as alcoholism being a choice or contracting diabetes as being a choice or heart failure as a choice. Although the person at risk must make serious changes to their own lifestyle in order to survive and thrive, these changes are not easy and the realization that change is needed comes much too late to double back and change the path. Especially when behaviors become habits and habits become first nature.
In the first place, no one 'chooses' to become so emotionally crippled they feel that suicide is the best option, as no one choose to become a meth addict. Who would want that? besides in all honesty a crazy person. In which case, that's a problem right there.

The role of honesty in depression is that the depressed person is ultimately the most honest person in the world, unable to lie to even themselves about their own self worth or find good reasons for living. This is the suppression of the survival instinct, which is needed to even desire to make a change. And so it's like trying to a bring a car to a safe stop when the brakes fail and the steering column locks up on a major highway.

I believe not enough is known about the brain to call depression a disease. It could be a result of a disease, defect, poisoning or parasite we don't even know about. But it's as real as a cluster headache, which exhibits no external symptoms besides the person's reaction to the pain.

Medication works for some, perhaps because it prevents the person from feeling so bad they want to die, and just good enough to make the changes needed. These are not happy pills and should not be portrayed as such by pharmaceutical corporations or social cynics.
Medication does not work for others because it may prevent the person not only from feeling bad, but also from feeling good. Or anything at all. And there are any number of side effects, ranging from general health to sexual health to worsening of the symptoms the medication is intended to treat. More research is needed to get these drugs out of the dark ages, but even installing a window into the side of a living person's head wont give more insight into the most inexplicable organ we have.

>>2
Maybe you're not depressed... maybe you were misdiagnosed or diagnosed early enough to make a change... but others do suffer from depression. Please respect that.