I wouldnt say hes depressed, just quiet, shy, and self-consious in a humorous/goofy way at the beginning, he matures very well in the game though. Especially by the time of Esthar, its like hes a completely different person.
The way they modeled the female characters in FF8 never ceases to amaze me. They hit the personas on the dot.
--- "The wise man has long ears, big eyes, and a short tongue."