Amber PortwoodShe's spent four seasons as one of the stars of an MTV reality series. But it looks like reality is just now dawning on Teen Mom Amber Portwood. She just started her five-year stint in prison, and already her family is saying she think she made a mistake.

Ah yes, the pity poor me Amber is back. Too bad we haven't missed her.

Amber's brother Shawn Portwood and another "insider" came out to OK Magazine this week, claiming she fears reprisals in prison from other inmates. They claim the panic attacks Amber had on the show are back, and she doesn't expect to live through the experience. I get that prison is no vacation, but that's some pretty extreme talk, isn't it? Doesn't expect to live through it?

It's odd considering just a week ago Amber told her hometown newspaper that she saw the Rockville Correctional Facility as her best option. It sounded like the substance abuse treatment she'd get inside and the ability to actually get her GED were positives that Amber realized she needed in her life. It sounded like she was finally starting to accept that she is responsible for screwing up her life, and it was time to stop blaming everyone else.

But then, that was before she heard the bars slam shut. Perspectives are bound to change when you're on the other side and reality sinks in. According to Shawn:

Amber was under the false impressions that prison will be easy, like it was in county jail. But she won't be in with girls blowing DUIs or minor crimes, she's in with criminals and murderers. She's a marshmallow. She'll try to come off tough and the women in there will take her down.

I want to feel sorry for her, but she had the opportunity to think this all through before she stood before a judge and opted for prison. Amber chose this. No one sent her to prison.

If what Shawn Portwood is saying is true, Amber's fears and extreme mental health issues are sad ... albeit an even bigger sign that she needs to remain in some sort of facility where she can get treatment. But unless she starts thinking about her actions and stops asking for sympathy at every turn, she's never going to get better.

How do you feel about Amber Portwood these days? Sympathetic? Fed up?

 

Image via MTV