Author's accepted version (post-print).This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Blegen, N., Eriksson, K. & Bondas, T. (2014). Through the depths and heights of darkness; mothers as patients in psychiatric care. Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences, 28(4), 852-860, which has been published in final form at http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/scs.12122