Why does "depression" make me feel depressed?

I've been battling with something for a long time now. I feel excessively tired, I get killer pains in my legs, I'm starting to lose my memory, I have some sexual issues and I'm losing the feeling in my left hand side. The first symptoms were all IBS related, and as I feel sicky and gassy most of the time, I'm off to the Dr tomorrow to see if there's any possibility that it could actually be a severe case of IBS, which can apparently cause most of those symptoms.

Anyway, I spent the first 3 years of this illness being told I'd got depression. I didn't feel depressed. I'm quite chipper most of the time. The anti-depressants made me miserable and fat.

Today I went to see the neurologist, and he's diagnosed me with depression. For the first time since that diagnosis was lifted, I feel miserable. The paranoia has kicked in, and I'm thinking about ways to end it all for the first time since my spell on venlafaxine.

Why?

some people 'somatise' problems - like making your body a bill-board for what's wrong in your life but counselling and psychotherapy are fields full of people making a living without necessarily helping anyone. same goes for the medical professions and it goes with bells on for the alternative therapies.
my sister is a 'reiki master' (got the certificate and everything!) but is a fake and i know cos i've met at least one person who can do it for real and believe me you know when you meet a real one. i also know a reflexologist who's a bit of a miracle worker...and a homeopath who has helped me.
the thing i have found in all the helping professions time and time again is that most people are really playing out their own problems - a need to be useful, to be right, to be loved or valued - the lsit is endless. i say 'most' and i really mean that - i'm a psychotherapist myself and i know there are times when i have been completely hopeless because i couldn't even see the other person past my own issues.
i'd say the thing is to find people who are good at what they do - through recommendation from people who can demonstrate change - and try a few things, together, that work for you. for me i have good results from a mixture of homeopathy, counselling and reflexology BUT that was reaqlly mainly down to, i think, the amazing quality of the three people i trust like that.
i'm sorry you've had all this and i hope you find something better.
o - just one last point - psychology and psychopharmacology might have their place but i have generally seen about a 99 to 1 ratio of people made worse by drugs rather than made better...doctors tend to not know much about emotional literacy, something there training perhaps stops them getting from real experience in many cases. a simple thing like the difference between grief, 'stuck' grief and depression isoutside the knowledge of every doctor i've made but again - most people, and i teach this stuff and include myself in this, have only a partial insight into the human condition at best.
a book called rowan's 'reality game' might help you make a more informed decision about any professional pontificating on the state of your mental health though...
godd luck

3 words. mind over matter
Maybe your in a stressful job. If so, get out of it. Health always comes before work.
depression is self inflicted.only you can pull yourself together.
It sounds like it could be side affects of whatever meds you are on now.. my son is Bi-Polar and one of his first meds made him feel more suicidal. I would suggest eating healthy and staying away from caffiene and other natural drugs and see if you feel any better.
coz it's depression
common sense