Reality Bites

'Teen Mom' Star in Suicide Attempt: Report

Amber Portwood of MTV hit show hospitalized.

Is this a wake-up call to TV producers who capitalize on troubled lives? Amber Portwood, the star of MTV’s hit reality-TV show Teen Mom, has been rushed to an Indiana hospital after an apparent suicide attempt. Star magazine reported that Portwood drifted in and out of consciousness and admitted to taking pills on Tuesday, and rescuers had to remove a rope from around her neck. The latest incident comes a week after she pleaded guilty to slapping and punching ex-fiancé Gary Shirley, and lost custody of her 2-year-old daughter, Leah. Such turbulent events, sprung into the public sphere, can be too much to handle for any adult, let alone a teen mother.