Margie Rankin, Di Wyatt and Ann Warden belong to the tight-knit group Tamworth and District Mental Health Carers Support Network.

All three women have found themselves as long-term carers for family members living with mental health conditions.

The support network group meets monthly, and members say the comfort found in knowing there are people close by, who know exactly what you're going through - who are some of the few who truly understand - is imperative to managing.

With Mental Health Month running throughout October, and as National Carers Week wraps up, the trio reflected on what it's like to seek out services in regional towns, what it's like to be the main support person for someone with a mental illness in Tamworth, and what it's like to face an issue most people want to ignore.

Margie Rankin has been a carer for her daughter, who was diagnosed with a mental health condition as a kid, for more than 30 years.

Ms Rankin said the life of a carer can be difficult, but it's not the kind of job you can just quit.

"As a mother, you don't have any other choice," she said.

"It's either that, or the person you love flounders and the end result is often not pretty."

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Over the decades, Ms Rankin said there have been both high and low points of supporting her daughter.

"The life of a carer gets pretty tough at times and you just feel as though everything is hitting you in the back of the head and you're not getting anywhere," she said.

"It's more often frustrating than not, but the reward is the person you are caring for and the person you love is still alive and still able to function in a bit of normality."

Di Wyatt is the facilitator of the Tamworth support group, and has spent years caring for a few different family members.

She said the way her days pan out has shifted dramatically since she took on the role of carer.

"Life has changed a lot, there are times when you don't have much time for yourself, and day to day it's totally different," she said.

"This is your family and these are your people and you will do anything for them."

Ann Wardon has two family members who rely on her support, one with a mental illness and one who lives with autism.

She said years of being a carer have knocked her around, emotionally.

"There is burnout. I'm buggered and I need a holiday," she said.

A huge hurdle both carers and sufferers have had to deal with is the lingering stigma still clinging to mental health.

Ms Rankin, Ms Wyatt and Ms Warden agree there has been a small change in attitudes over the decades, but there's still a long way to go.

"There needs to be much more of a shift, it's improving, certainly, it's not being swept under the carpet as much as it was 30 odd years ago, but there is still a stigma," Ms Rankin said.

"People don't want to be recognised as being mentally ill ... and there have definitely been times as a carer I've had to sweep it under the carpet.

"We really need to push the fact that if you have a broken leg, people can see it and people are going to help you, but if you have a mental health illness, it's often not seen and there needs to be more acceptance."

Ms Wyatt and Ms Warden said it's gotten to the point where you can't be too worried what people think.

"People who have no experience with it tend not to want to know about it, or they think it's self-inflicted, or drug related, and there's not a lot of compassion there," Ms Warden said.

Outside of the emotional journey of being a carer for someone with a mental illness, the responsibility also largely falls on those in this role to seek the help their loved ones need.

And in a regional city like Tamworth, it's not always easy.

Ms Rankin said things like the NDIS - for those who can get it - have helped, and groups like One Door offer support and guidance.

But there have been times when Ms Rankin said she couldn't get her daughter the appropriate medical help in Tamworth.

"The thing that concerns most carers is the lack of psychiatrists in regional areas," she said.

"We need them to be here. Often people with mental health are very clever and they know how to get around the doctors and tell them what they want to hear, so they need to be here and see the body language."

The COVID-19 pandemic has made things like telehealth appointments even more commonplace.

Ms Wyatt said a young woman she cares for in Tamworth has been forced to see a psychiatrist from Towoomba via Skype, because they just couldn't get one here.

The Tamworth and District Mental Health Carers Support Network has been an active voice in getting an upgrade to the city's Banksia Mental Health unit to push ahead, and "can't wait" for the day the first sod is turned.

The one big thing going for Tamworth is the people, according to Margie Rankin.

While being a country carer has it's problems, she said the support she's found here has been unparalleled.

"It's absolutely imperative that carers are supported, if not by organisations then by the community," she said.

"It's great to know there is somebody else there who has been through what you're going through.

"When you have a group like this, you only have to say someone is in trouble and the whole town is out to help."

Ms Wyatt runs the local carers group and said it's important to remember to take care of yourself as well, when you can.

"All of our people are different, but we've all landed in the same boat," she said.

Ms Warden said she's also found the opposite kind of comfort in the group - escaping anything going on at home.

"Sometimes I like to just get away and chill out and not even talk about it, it's nice to just sit down and talk about what's happening in the outside world," she said.

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