Distressing [adjective]

It’s also easy to anthropomorphize and misinterpret actions as gestures of joy that are actually signs of distress or just indifference.

Covid-19—and its corollaries of uncertainty, isolation, and financial distress— is a mix of high-risk factors for developing a substance abuse disorder, or relapsing.

In response, lawmakers called a hearing two months later, during which doctors and other experts testified that children suffered emotional and mental distress during the weeks or months their release was delayed.

Under the radar, a new class of dangerous debt — climate-distressed mortgage loans — might already be threatening the financial system.

We became officers because we wanted to help people in distress, make a difference in our communities and simply serve and protect.

They tried to make him comfortable by opening the window, turning on a fan and continuing anti-anxiety medication, but his chest heaved in distress.

Even if cats are successfully toilet trained, the stress surrounding going to the toilet can cause mental distress and toilet and litter aversion, especially if an accident occurs when no one is home.

On average, for example, facial expressions of pain and distress clustered among sculpted individuals shown being tortured, in line with what Westerners predicted would occur.

An abnormal breathing pattern might be a sign of respiratory distress, while pacing could indicate anxiety.

All over the world, people are trying to cope with similar distress—and existing mental health care systems are not always equipped to help them.