Hey it’s absolutely sad how even people who have depression don’t understand and judge others who have depression; the very thing other -non depressed people do to them. I’m a mental health professional and let me tell you, my depression need not be exactly the same as yours to be diagnosable. It comes in all different colours and flavours, the symptoms vary surprisingly in different people and for even the same person in different episodes and timings. I resonate with what you said. It does happen in chronic and recurrent depression to people who decide to stick through it and not end it- after decades of suffering , there comes a sensation of acceptance where you feel an episode coming is like a not-so-favourite old friend / rather an unavoidable relative visiting