Objectives: When young adults with mental illness become of age they have to be transferred to adult psychiatry if they need continued psychiatric care. This transfer is more than a change of caring units, as they undergo multiple transitions during this period in life. Transitioning to adulthood can be a critically period and as the young adults are considered adults they need to take responsibility for their matter of health and make decisions about care and treatment, even though they may not be mature to make such decisions. A prolonged transition to adulthood may further put demands on parents to continue providing support even though the young adult already reached the age of majority. The aim of my studies was to explore young adults’ transitions within psychiatric care from the perspective of young adults and relatives. Method: To reach the aim individual interviews were conducted with young adults aged 18-26 years and parents to young adults with mental illness. The method for data selection and analysis was Grounded Theory. Result: The analysis resulted in a grounded theory explaining that support and intrinsic motivation are prerequisites for young adults’ transition and recovery. Intrinsic motivation was created by trustful caring relationships and a supportive care environment. Furthermore, the young adults were dependent on support from their parents to manage transition. Without those conditions the risk for dropping out of care increased. From the parents’ perspective, the prolonged responsibility of parenting had impact of their well-being, as it implied a round-a-clock caring for their children. The parents needed support for their own sake to manage life. With an inclusive attitude from the professionals and a possibility to participate in care, the parents could find relief from their inescapable duties of parenting. Conclusion: To facilitate young adults’ transitions, transition planning should be carried out in cooperation with the caring units and the family. To reduce the risk of “falling into the caring gap”, individual assessment of the young adult’s intrinsic motivation to receive care and level of support from parents should be considered. Professionals need to offer parents support, otherwise, there is a risk of young adults dropping out of care as they need support from their parents to manage transition to adulthood and recovery.