Amber is preparing to spend half a decade behind bars, but experts tell HollywoodLife.com that jail is the absolute worst solution for the troubled ‘Teen Mom’ star at the moment. Read on to find out why.
Amber Portwood has been in and out of jail — and the hospital — for the past couple of years. And finally it’s all boiled down to this: five years behind bars.
The 22-year-old’s most recent jail sentence is the reimposed consequence of her December 2011 drug arrest after she refused to go to a drug rehabilitation center.
But between her struggles with domestic violence and alleged prescription pills, experts tell HollywoodLife.com jail will only worsen her condition.
“Jail is not the solution. It’s worst,” Marty Brenner, Beverly Hills Addiction Specialist, tells HollywoodLife.com. “Treatment is the only way of doing it. Going for 90 days, seeking a psychiatrist after. If she really wants to go to jail, something is really wrong.”
Amber reportedly refused rehab, citing that she’s too much of a “bad girl” for it to help her. But therapist Dr. Gilda Carle says this “bad girl image” could have something to do with her infatuation with the media.
“She has glamorized ‘bad girl’ behavior, and never got to see how productive she might become. It’s really tragic that her values are so tarnished by her fame in the media,” says Dr. Gilda, 30-Second Therapist on Today.com.”Someone she respects must sit her down and explain the ramifications of her behaviors. Drugs, to begin with, will keep her a dependent victim. And prison, to end with, will scar her for life.”
The Teen Mom star has a violent history, which began in 2010 when she was charged with three felonies for domestic battery after attacking Gary Shirley with her daughter Leah in the room. After being placed on a two-year probation, Amber got into another altercation and was found having prescription drugs on her — without a prescription. Amber also was rushed to the hospital in June 2011 after an alleged suicide attempt.
What is also very concerning is how this will affect her 3-year-old daughter. Dr. Carole Lieberman suggests her decision to go to jail rather than rehab could have been made to avoid motherhood.
“It is very sad that having a cute little girl to love isn’t enough to motivate Amber to get clean in a rehab facility, and that she asked to be put in prison instead. It almost seems as if she is doing this to avoid the responsibilities of motherhood,” Dr. Lieberman, psychiatrist and author of Bad Girls: Why Men Love Them & How Good Girls Can Learn Their Secrets, tells HollywoodLife.com.
But one thing is for sure, with her troubled past jail is not going to help her, experts say.
“Jail is not a solution for anything. It’s punishment,” Marty Brenner says.
What do you think, HollywoodLifers? Should Amber go to rehab? Vote and weigh in below.
– By Nicole Karlis
More Amber Portwood drama:
- Amber Portwood Sentenced To Prison For Five Years
- ‘Teen Mom’ Cast Spill Amber Portwood Drama Details: ‘It’s Hard For Her Daughter’
- Amber Portwood Sent Back To Prison: Would Rather Do Jail Than Rehab
Nesta
Posted at 6:34 PM on August 10, 2012
She is trash. She deserves prison. She is a horrible mother. Her beautiful daughter deserves better. I hope Gary finds someone who will be a good mother to Leah.