Empath is not in the DSM. So for me, it's just another label.

I reguarly go to Buddhist retreats, and I know monks that meditate 24/7 who are more sensitive to others emotions as in pick up on them, sense them and recognise your emotions quicker than you can, are not afraid to cry and see your pain, and this, in a Buddhist community is seen as normal and healthy, I think the issue is not with an empath, rather I feel the issue is that we suppress our emotions too much that we are not aware of even our own emotions, and often cannot recognise the emotions in others, in a Buddhist community it's called mindfulness or unmindfulness, not normal or empath. For me empath does not exist, but I'm glad it has meaning to you.