INTRODUCTION: Research shows that psychiatric nursing care puts additional demands on the nurse as a leader due to the psychological complexity of care. Experience and leadership training are most important to exert leadership. In Sweden, demands for leadership exists already at the beginning of a nursing career, and in psychiatry it may lead to an overwhelming workload.

AIM/QUESTION: The aim of the present study is to highlight nurses' experiences of leading the psychiatric nursing care in an adult psychiatric context.

METHOD: A qualitative interview study of eleven registered nurses within psychiatric inpatient care. Content analysis were used for analysis.

RESULTS: Leading with combined feelings of both meaningfulness and uncertainty were the theme arising from the result.

DISCUSSION: Findings from Swedish and international studies, stresses special demands on leadership in psychiatric care. The result show that nurses perceived an ambivalence of their leadership in terms of both meaningfulness and uncertainty.

IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: An official mandate to lead as well as leadership guidance in communication and teambuilding will enhance leadership, especially among newly graduated nurses. Heightened awareness within health care organisations about difficulties in leading psychiatric nursing care, could increase the possibility to create right prerequisites for leadership.