Depression the illness and depression the state of mind go hand in hand, and quite often you don't know which is which, because those fuckers work together, against you. There's nothing wrong with telling your particular story (in fact, your story is not all that unusual, believe it or not), and facing your issues will hopefully be the start of a better path for you. Telling your story here is helpful, because there are undoubtedly those who can relate; people whose problem is maybe more "mental" and less neurological. It may shed light on their own issues. We certainly have the power to talk ourselves into our problems, as well as out.

But I'm sure you understand that for many people (maybe even for you still, depending on how things go), the illness is real, and talking themselves in or out of their state of mind is only half the battle, and unless they get further help, like from a doctor, the battle will not resolve itself.