I too was very depressed prior to this community; not to the same degree, but I just cannot imagine my life now without it.
I met so many of my current day friends through it; I don't have any in real life.
The pony thread I joined last year was the best thing to ever happen to me; It was an absolutely awesome thread filled with awesome people who all knew each other. I posted the most and loved it, I didn't mind pouring day after day into that thread; it was all I had.
The thread is dead now, which depresses me a bit and I really do miss it, but what happened in it I will never forget.
And I still talk to a few of them, so I guess everything's not lost.
Kudos to you, mr . my little pwny.