"SO I kinda had a lot going on," Amy Devrell told the Leader.
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There is a lot to the young woman's story, one she has learnt to share and own.
Her mother was murdered when she was just 16 years old.
"That was the start of a bigger journey with my mental health," she said.
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"I was later diagnosed with depression, anxiety, insomnia and PTSD."
There was a lot going on.
Managing mental health is a daily activity now and it has also put her on the front line of youth mental health.
Ms Devrell has stood out in front of crowds of 18-30-year-olds and voiced her experiences putting a face and a name to mental ill-health.
"One of the biggest things on my journey of recovery is being able to share story and own it," she said.
"And being able to talk about it in a causal way for something that is so extraordinary."
She has been a Being Herd speaker with youth mental health organisation, batyr, since 2015.
Her story is extraordinary but, in equal measure, so is her capacity to guide relative strangers out of the spirals of insular suffering.
"I sort of felt that no one else had been through what I was going through and that I didn't have anyone I could relate to," she said.
"I think that's a kinda regular feeling people feel when they're struggling with their mental health.
"For me, I wanted to share my story of being completely alone and feeling like I had no support when, what I learnt was, I did have that support through family, friends and local services."
At the end of this week, Ms Devrell will travel to Armidale where batyr will host its latest Being Herd workshop on Saturday and Sunday.
It is a free two-day event aimed at empowering "young people to give a voice to their story of mental ill-health".
Having been a part of the workshops for four years, Ms Devrell said regional youth faced unique circumstances.
"I think there certainly is a lot of unique pressures for young people in general," she said.
"Being from a rural area, there's a greater stigma and greater access barriers to services."
If you or someone you know is in need of support, call Lifeline on 13 11 14