Is a slow life lived in a village a sure-shot way to avoid/cure depression?

Is a fast-paced life in an urban area a sure-shot way to get into d...   

The problem with your idea is a lack of autonomy. It is true that rural/village life is effective in reducing depression. But the reason for that is the autonomy involved in a village life. When you spend a majority of your time working to attain food, shelter, and water you gain a feeling of accomplishment and confidence. It is this feeling that prevents depression. In the scenario that you mention, with food water and shelter provided without reasonable work all you get is relaxation for about a week before boredom sets in. That boredom will quickly become depression. The effect is compounded if you came from an urban area and have that to compare it to. Autonomy is just as important for mental health as food water and shelter. Without the work and autonomy that comes with it a village setting is just as depressing as an urban life that lacks autonomy. In an urban setting, most people work and can't really identify with their work. Sure you get a paycheck and can use it to provide food shelter and water. But the work involved often lacks the autonomy that comes from rural life. In urban areas, food is available year round with no effort. In a rural setting you need to plan ahead and prepare for lean times. In the urban area you begin to expect everything for minimal effort, in rural areas you gain that feeling of accomplishment from your efforts to provide. In some sense, the rural life does not allow for depression because it is a waste of time that needs to be spent working instead of complaining.

It might work for some people, but not everyone.  I'd go nuts if I had to do that.

This argument is based on faulty logic. If you haven't seen a well to do villager who was depressed, you simply haven't met enough villagers. Of course there are depressed people out there who happen to live in villages, and yes, some of them are well to do. Depression, like most illnesses doesn't discriminate. If you are clinically depressed, thinking that there exists a magical place where you can escape to may help you in the moment, but it's no real answer to your problem. Feeling a disconnect from your reality, whatever the reality is, is just a part of the problem. A person living in a village might similarly think moving to a city will cure them. It won't. Your problems travel with you. If you personally have tied your bouts of depression with your lifestyle and your chosen place of living, then maybe considering changing that lifestyle will help you. But magical places that cure you of depression don't exist. And sadly most villages don't boast many therapists to choose from, which is what the real answer to depression is.

I agree with the above answer about autonomy and boredom. I lived in a small village of about 800 people, and believe me, apart from being slow paced and extremely familiar, it is not for everyone. Conversation tends to revolve around gossip over a coffee pot, there are slim pickings over restaurants, shopping, and technology. There's less privacy because news spreads like wildfire and this included news of a personal nature. Everyone knows everything about everyone else. That said, there is a strong sense of community and greater care towards one's neighbors. And where I lived nobody needed to lock their front doors or worry about kidnapping. It is a really interesting culture. But personally, I prefer the modern urban life.

Well for a short duration of time it is a very good idea ( for short duration i mean a week maximum ) For a long term ( it sucks ) : A person having lived in all comforts of city life can't tolerate it , their is a limit to stay in villages . The reason being we dont want to adapt to it , we know one day we will go back to the same comfy life so after some time the village life seems to be boring or dull . As far as it is to relieve the stress , a week time is enough if the person is really in some state of recovering . Anyways its my thoughts , it may vary for different people living in different conditions