Deserted area is in a bad way (5)
I believe the answer is:
sinai
'deserted area' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'is in a bad way' is the wordplay.
'bad way' indicates an anagram (I've seen this in other clues).
'is'+'in'+'a'='isina'
'isina' with letters rearranged gives 'SINAI'.
(Other definitions for sinai that I've seen before include "Peninsula, mostly desert, at north end of Red Sea" , "11 Across peninsula" , "Ten Commandments mountain" , "Part of 10 [EGYPT]" , "Mount on which Moses received the Ten Commandments" .)