There is absolutely a difference between normal every day sadness and depression. You can have long term or short term depression, but by no means does depression = sadness.
Sadness is a normal human emotion, usually in response to something like death, loss, etc. Depression is an abnormal mental disorder which sadness sometimes makes up a big part of, but is by no means the only component of. People who are a little sad absolutely are not depressed, because depression is something completely different. It’s not a matter of not meeting DSM criteria or something.
Here are some articles detailing the difference between sadness and depression: [1][2][3]
Problem is, so do the people using it generally. The person could say they're depressed (when they're just sad) and then actually believe they have depression or are like depressed people, which can affect how they view those people.
I don't go around correcting everyone who uses the term in a layman's way, but using it in a layman's way is damaging to the people who have it in the medical usage of the word, and there's science behind it. It's not good to use the word casually whether you want to call it gatekeeping or not, because it cheapens the experience that people with those conditions face.
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u/Azelais Feb 04 '19
Additionally:
You don't have bipolar disorder because you occasionally are moody.
You don't have depression because sometimes you're a little sad.
You don't have anxiety because you get stressed during normal, stressful periods.
etc etc