Very severe or serious (8)
I believe the answer is:
grievous
I believe this clue is a double definition.
'very severe' is the first definition.
(I've seen this before)
'serious' is the second definition.
(synonyms)
(Other definitions for grievous that I've seen before include "Causing distress" , "The "G" of GBH" , "This sort of bodily harms is serious" , "Vogue, sir, may be very serious" , "distressing" .)