Affective disorders have not attracted as much attention or funding over the last decades as have mental illnesses that are considered to be more severe, such as psychosis and schizophrenia. Affective disorders were for example excluded from the 1995 Swedish reform of psychiatric care, because they were seen as less severe than other mental illnesses. The fact that they are often treated in primary care, with only long-term cases referred to specialized psychiatry, may contribute to the view, held predominately by health care organizations, that affective disorders are less severe or more easily treated than other psychiatric disorders. This view, however, does not reflect the patient's perspective, and convincing evidence shows that major depression and bipolar disorders create great suffering for the people having to live with them. For the last 10 years a nursing research group at the Sahlgrenska Academy at Gothenburg University has explored the lives and circumstances of people living with affective disorders. This paper presents recent research and an overview of the entire project with the aim of contributing towards the development of person-centred care for people living with affective disorders.