Carers and families: life and suffering among Bangladeshi psychiatric patients and their families in London - an interview study 3.

This paper looks at the role of Bangladeshi families in the provision of care and help seeking: the burden on family members but also their presumed role in the causation of illness. It deploys data deriving from an interview study examining understandings and health-related practices among British Bangladeshis with mental and physical illness and their carers. While families generally support the mentally ill, the emotional and physical burden on them can be extensive. Conflicts between individuals may result in accusations of sorcery, especially when envy is suspected. Regular travel between desh and bidesh attempts to maintain family unity and continues traditional understandings of serious sickness and disability.