I think of depression as the purest form of realism. In many ways the world isn't a kind place, and human lives are fleeting and finite. People with depression aren't deluded into a false sense of reality. I read a study once where researchers had players dodge dots in a game. The researchers asked each player how many they were able to dodge. The people with depression were consistently within 5-10% accurate about how many dots, and those without depression consistently reported way more than they actually dodged, usually 50% more at minimum. I think it is accurate in a way to argue that people with depression understandthe world and existence better than anyone.