You pretty much hit the nail on the head.

During the winter, my depression consumes me, and I barely leave the house. My sleeping pattern... well, there is no pattern. I don't eat, sleep, or care about much of anything.

No one really takes a break expecting to find a solution. In my opinion, people take a break, because they can't take it "out there" anymore. The pressure of life becomes to much, and a person just needs to recoup.

A retreat (mental or even physcially on a lovely vacation) happens when you have the luxury to... or out of necessity. It's a reprieve, at most. A solution doesn't just "happen." It's something you work for.