I started Finasteride about 4 months before HRT. For me it made me happier than anything else. It could be a placebo effect, but I also thing it's because I have a female brain. I think the cis-males with a extreme male brain have the depression issues IMHO.
Finasteride did help my hair and aided in my body changes to become more feminine, even a little prior to HRT. I didn't realize this until I went back and looked at some pictures before and after HRT and noticed some very minor feminization in the pictures in the 4 month period between starting finasteride and HRT. I have continued to take finasteride after HRT and my doctor believed that it helps aid HRT and I think she it right about that.
It did help reduce body hair (not as much as HRT but did reduce it) and made a big difference on my head hair. I still have a widows peak, but my hairline isn't overly masculine anymore with nearly 17 months HRT and 21 months of finasteride. I can wear a low ponytail and my hairline still looks very feminine.