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Dr. Drew: MTV makes sure 'Teen Moms' get the help they need

 “Teen Mom” Amber Portwood checked into a rehab center in Malibu, Calif., in late June, with MTV’s cameras chronicling her fight against anger-control issues and depression.  While some readers may not be fans of the young mother or even the popular series, many agreed that she should work on her issues in private.“NO ONE should be filmed in rehab,” reader Dennis Roberts said on our Fa
Dr. Drew Pinsky talked about his new CW show, \"Dr. Drew's Lifechangers,\" during the network's portion of the 2011 Summer TCA Tour held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Aug. 4 in Beverly Hills.
Dr. Drew Pinsky talked about his new CW show, \"Dr. Drew's Lifechangers,\" during the network's portion of the 2011 Summer TCA Tour held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Aug. 4 in Beverly Hills.Frederick M. Brown / Getty Images / Today

 “Teen Mom” Amber Portwood checked into a rehab center in Malibu, Calif., in late June, with MTV’s cameras chronicling her fight against anger-control issues and depression.  While some readers may not be fans of the young mother or even the popular series, many agreed that she should work on her issues in private.

“NO ONE should be filmed in rehab,” reader Dennis Roberts said on our Facebook page. “(It’s a) place to go to unwind and de-stress from what got you there, and the camera(s) are only going to add to the pressure of her life.”

“Rehab is not entertainment ... it's real life!” said Ken Tucker. “Whatever ... happened to a person’s privacy?”

“She can’t get the help she needs with cameras around,” said Adrienne Bayless.

But Dr. Drew Pinsky, who hosts the “Teen Mom” and “16 and Pregnant” reunion specials on MTV, doesn’t agree.

“I can tell you the cameras are not constantly there at treatment. For sure,” Dr. Drew told TODAY.com on Thursday at the Television Critics Association’s summer press tour in Los Angeles. “I want VH1 and MTV to take a bow sometimes for how much they support treatment of people. ... They make sure these girls get the care they need. From what I hear, (Amber’s) doing actually rather well. And wait until you see Jenelle (Evans of 'Teen Mom 2').”

Evans plead guilty to drug paraphernalia charges in April, and was seen on video earlier this year allegedly beating another young woman, for which she faces charges. She also went to rehab earlier this year, but violated probation last month when she tested positive for THC – a substance found in marijuana.

“Nothing happens to a person like Jenelle with the cameras rolling that doesn’t happen all the time to my patients that are just like Jenelle,” Dr. Drew told TODAY.com. “I mean, I didn’t see anything unusual, like, ‘Oh my God! That’s the cameras doing that!’ In fact, what I saw was a supportive structure that picked her up and got her to treatment, while it’d be just me struggling with the Jenelles of the world by myself.”

But regardless of whether MTV should follow the subjects of the show into rehab, Dr. Drew said it’s the people who don’t have the cable network helping them find treatment that he worries about.

“Taking somebody like Jenelle – not Jenelle – and finding resources for them is impossible these days,” he told TODAY.com. “It’s so hard. So it cuts both ways.”

Do you think MTV is getting these troubled girls on their shows enough help? Share your thoughts on our Facebook page.

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