Even a little psychological distress adds up over time and prevents people from working, according to a Swedish study published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

The new findings indicate that the effects of milder forms of stress should be taken more seriously.

Business Week wrote that Swedish and British researchers found that the higher the level of psychological stress, the higher the likelihood that people would need a disability pension award five years down the line.

Even more strikingly, it turned out that people with even mild distress -- who are considered in Swedish health surveys as having ‘good mental well-being’ -- had an elevated risk. They were up to 70 percent more likely to receive those benefits.

"Is it possible that in a modern, education-based, post-industrial society like Sweden, which provides universal access to benefits, people with mild psychosocial deficits find it easier to access benefits than meet complex labor market demands? Are the strains and demands of modern society commonly exceeding human ability?", the researchers asked in the article.

The study included over 17,000 employed adults in Stockholm, Sweden.