The phrase "distressing illness" is correct and completely usable in written English.
You can use it when referring to a mentally or physically debilitating illness. For example: My aunt suffered from a distressing illness which affected her daily life.
Her death on March 15 after a long and distressing illness seemed to knock the remaining fight out of him.
That will serve nobody, least of all the many thousands of people who deserve scientific solutions for their complex and unquestionably distressing illness.
A Department of Health official said: "Narcolepsy is a distressing illness and our deepest sympathies go to Katie Clack's family and friends following her tragic death.
Based in the US, where he will still be able to work as a scientist ‑ if not a doctor ‑ and with a considerable following among the desperate parents of autistic children who get too few answers about the distressing illness, he will continue to portray himself as the victim of the British medical establishment.
Dementia is a distressing illness and one which, we are warned, will become much more common as the population ages.
Risley died at Wimbledon in on 30 September 1911, continuing his studies to the end despite a "distressing illness".
A branded chain of open-access outposts offering the latest talking therapies for some of the most common and distressing mental illnesses.
Reed was already struggling with mental health problems when the assault happened; her family say she had never fully recovered from the death of her nine-month-old daughter in 2003, after months in hospital and a distressing battle with illness.
Dementia is a distressing and disabling illness with worldwide estimates of increased numbers of people with the condition.
PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Refractory dyspnea is a common and distressing symptom complicating respiratory illness, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and life-limiting illnesses in general, including cancer.
Disability living allowance meant I could rent a one-bedroom flat, which gave me room for people to stay when I needed extra help, and privacy to experience the more distressing aspects of my illness.
