Unveiling mental health seeking through transnational religious healing practices among Bangladeshi migrants in the UK

Abstract This study focuses on the treatment-seeking patterns of first-generation Bangladeshi migrants for mental health conditions. Data were collected during the Covid-19 pandemic through online semi-structured interviews in Eastbourne, UK, as no previous research has been conducted in this location where a group of Bangladeshi migrants reside. Bangladeshi migrants voluntarily relocated to the UK for economic or familial reasons, and their descendants continue to reside in the country. Upon migration, they retain their beliefs and values, including their practice of medical pluralism. The most prevalent mental health treatment-seeking behaviours include religious healing practices, obtaining preferred medications from different suitable sources, and travelling to holy sites for remedies while simultaneously utilising UK psychiatric care. The findings of this article demonstrate that the mental health-seeking behaviour of Bangladeshi migrants is deeply rooted in religious or faith healing practices that are transported from Bangladesh to the UK through the lenses of medical pluralism resulting in a unique phenomenon of travelling medicine and travelling treatment.