(CNN) "Serious psychological distress" refers to a mental health problem that is severe enough to require treatment. The surveys also measured serious psychological distress. When validating this scale, psychologists have found that the number of people in serious psychological distress corresponds to the number of people with a diagnosis of a serious mental illness. Over the course of the surveys from 2006 to 2014, she and her colleagues found that access to health care services deteriorated for people suffering from psychological distress compared with those without serious distress. "The Great Recession of 2008 had a tremendous impact on adults with serious psychological distress."

Source: CNN April 17, 2017 08:37 UTC