Background. With the mental health care reform 1995, the long-term mentally ill patients were meant to be integrated in the society. Instead, they became “deported” to mental health care. Aim. To describe the interaction with long-term mentally ill patients, seen from the caregivers’ point of view. Method. Through search of data in one full text database and three other databases, eight articles were included in this literature review. Sample. The articles were not to be older than ten years and to be written in english. Analyse. Were done from inspiration of a manifest text analyse. Results. Following category appeared: “health care professionals encounter the long-term mentally ill”. This category was also divided into the subcategories: “non-supporting interaction” and “encouragement and hope”. Discussion. Through search in databases there might have been bias in, for example, science of behaviour. Most of the findings which have appeared in this literature review can not be generalised. Different interesting findings were discussed like, for example, health care professionals who base their point of view on normality: “Here’s the box make yourself fit in”. This may oppose the patients’ efforts to feel secure in their everyday life. Another perspective, regarding the interaction was the importance of quality of life, when it came to interacting with the patients. To see the patient from an illness point of view, changed to see the human instead and not the illness. Conclusion. Many of the long-term mentally ill patients are battling with feeling safe and secure in the everyday life. When they need support in the primary healthcare, for example, the nurse may be helped with guidance and reflection and to see beyond the illness of the patient where he/she is to be found right in that moment.