depression, especially manic depression is just as easy as just getting help and things will be ok. it doesn't just go away, meds just help make life a little bit more bearable. idk if he was manically depressed, but manic depression is a whole lot harder to deal with than just depression.
plus there's so many awful side affects of meds and the whole process of trial and error. sometimes it can't take a year + trying oit different meds to find one that works for you.
i'm 28 and been dealing with manic depression since i was 14 years old. i've been to hospitals, on meds, seen therapists for months and stabilized to then convincing myself it's ok to stop all that, people with manic depression are notorious for stopping it.
and i'm sure his family and close ones tried helping him but a lot of times family can be naive, as well. my das doesn't even believe in mentall illness, my mom does but she thinks it's just a phase and laying in bed for a day will cure it.
it's a lot of trickier than you're making it out to be