S14.E07: Mindie; Katherine

[Tara Ariano]

A young woman who was molested as a child is suffering from a meth addiction that her family fear she won't survive; and the parents of a mother who has lost custody of her children because of her dependency on drugs are desperate for her to get sober.

[mythoughtis]

Two totally unlikable people. I do sense a difference in the production crew this season - they don't allow these people to get by with as much- such as reporting Katherine to her parents. I don't hold out hope that Mindie will stay clean. I think she has mental issues.

Edited May 4, 2015 by mythoughtis

[Enero]

Two totally unlikable people. I do sense a difference in the production crew this season - they don't allow these people to get by with as much- such as reporting Katherine to get parents. I don't hold out hope that Mindie will stay clean. I think she has mental issues.

That and her family seemed like assholes. If she plans to return to them after rehab I don't hold out much hope that she'll remain clean.

Katherine just came off as a spoiled whiner who liked getting high more than anything else. I felt so bad for her poor daughter seeming to have two parents that didn't give a dam about her. Why again was the grandparents raising her and her brother instead of their father? I can only hope that she and her brother will be able to rise above the BS that has invaded their childhoods and grow up to be healthy adults.

[auntieminem]

It was nice to see Mindie meet up with Samantha at rehab.  I hope she does well.  Her mom was just too busy and no one dealing with her sexual abuse accusations was crappy. She seemed to have some self awareness and a tiny bit of remorse.  Katherine I did not get at all.  I think I may have missed something in her story, if not she is just a selfish liar.  Her poor kids.  

[mythoughtis]

I think Katherine also had a mental illness.  They described her as having 'all highs and lows' once she hit puberty.  Her parents had her kids because they didn't want them to grow up in a drug infested home.  It seemed that Chad wouldn't leave nor ask her to leave, so therefore the parents decided the kids should leave.  It was hinted at the pre-intervention that Chad and Katherine had something similar to a co-dependency going on.

[Chaos Theory]

Sometimes I wonder why the addicts go home at all. I know family ties and all but sometimes it may be better to keep some distance and in this day and age its not like a plane ride is out of the question for most people. Unless there are other concerns like children or sick parents sobriety trumps almost everything.

Edited May 4, 2015 by Chaos Theory

[Empress1]

I think Katherine also had a mental illness.  They described her as having 'all highs and lows' once she hit puberty.  Her parents had her kids because they didn't want them to grow up in a drug infested home.  It seemed that Chad wouldn't leave nor ask her to leave, so therefore the parents decided the kids should leave.  It was hinted at the pre-intervention that Chad and Katherine had something similar to a co-dependency going on.

 

I don't know what was going on with Chad - it seemed like he and Katherine were still married and living together in the house (but not cleaning at all - that house was fucking filthy) but the kids were gone. Was he using too? Her parents needed to threaten jail since Katherine stole their money, not let her see her kids after a relapse.

 

When Mindie poked her head out when her family showed up, saying she needed to clean, I gasped - she looked horrible. Both she and Katherine were Faces of Meth poster children. Their skin was horrible.

[Enero]

I don't know what was going on with Chad - it seemed like he and Katherine were still married and living together in the house (but not cleaning at all - that house was fucking filthy) but the kids were gone. Was he using too?

 

 

 

Yeah I was confused about this too. When she did the walk through of the house she kept saying how this is where SHE lived and didn't mention the husband at all. So I kind of assumed he'd left her? But then again maybe he was at work when she did the tour.

 

I think Katherine also had a mental illness.  They described her as having 'all highs and lows' once she hit puberty.

 

But was this before or after she began using coke? The friend was saying she went off for the summer and when she came back Katherine and several of their other friends had tried and were continously using coke.

[NicoleLee0407]

I think Katherine exhibited these "highs and lows" prior to using cocaine. It seems to me as though she may be Bi-polar.

[Primetimer]

It's a double dose of a single drug on Intervention.

Read the story

[Calamity Jane]

I think Katherine exhibited these "highs and lows" prior to using cocaine. It seems to me as though she may be Bi-polar.

Only because my daughter is a mental health therapist, I have become aware that many addicts have what is known as "dual diagnosis," meaning there is a mental illness that co-exists with and exacerbates the addiction (and vice versa).  I often wonder about the people on these episodes because bipolar in particular seems kind of glaringly obvious in quite a few cases.  It rarely if ever gets mentioned on the show whether a diagnosis is made, but I really have to wonder.  

[pasdetrois]

Ugh, I hated Mindie's parents, especially the mother. Say it with me now: what kind of parent in this day and age (Mindie's not very old) blithely dismisses a child's abuse reports? Assholes, that's who. (Grrrr...make me furious.)  And we were not seeing the mother's real personality - she gave a command performance as the weepy, caring mother for the cameras and I saw right through it (as did Mindie, even in her meth haze). Yet Mindie is returning home to live with her family - that mother will trigger her like nobody's business. Donna was a good choice for those parents.

 

I agree that Katherine may be bipolar and self-medicating. It would explain in part her impulsive disregard for the rules in a structured treatment center. (Disclosure - a family member works at Pine Grove. I believe it's where Tiger Woods went for his treatment, whatever that was about.) I think her husband was co-dependent and unwilling to intervene on her behavior, so the grandparents took custody of the kids.

Edited May 5, 2015 by pasdetrois

[starri]

 Donna was a good choice for those parents.

I have no strong feelings about Donna, but Candy has always been the best handling family members who aren't in the intervention for the right reasons.  When the show was canceled, there was an interview on Buzzfeed where she mentioned that a interventionee had been molested by an uncle (she wouldn't name the person, and I don't know if that was brought up in the actual episode) and the uncle wanted to be part of the intervention and Candy refused to do it if he was part of the thing.

 

See also: Tressa parents, the adopted boy from India.

[DrivingSideways]

Nobody will ever top Candy, but I really like Donna.  I don't think she's as touchy feely as Candy - Candy would get invested in the family and sometimes cry - Donna is a lot more no-nonsense and calls the family members on their shit.  I think she's a great addition!

[Toaster Strudel]

I like Donna.  She brings something gentle and laid back to the table, whereas the others seem to bring more urgency.

[candall]

I was curious about Katherine bombing out of the facility for reasons which weren't described as "relapse," so I looked the place up online.  They mention the nutrition, exercise and faith elements of their program--maybe it's a no smoking facility and Katherine was outside in the bushes sneaking Marlboros.

 

I remember an interview from one of the Canadian episodes where the director of the facility was a badass woman with purple streaks and a couple of feathers in her hair.  I think I'd probably have a better shot getting my sobriety act together with someone like her.

****

I like Donna, too--a lot!  Since I suddenly can't get enough of Intervention, I've recently seen several old ones.  Benny, the "entrepreneur," had an interventionist I've never seen before and I didn't really care for his style.  (I've searched, but can't find his name.)

[ms.o]

Regarding Katherine and her kids - my guess is that CPS intervened. I work in child welfare, so speaking only for my area - if one parent uses and the other one sticks with them (even if clean), we do not return children to that home.

It might also explain why some information seemed missing

Edited May 11, 2015 by ms.o

[Elizabeth9]

Katherine just seemed like a jerk to me. Usually I have some level of sympathy for the person, but not her. Nothing really terrible happened to her, either. When she was getting high in the car at her children's event, I just wanted to smash her stupid glass pipe.

Mindie- she was ok. Glad she's doing well and the "intervention rehab friendship" is cute.

[Kjharrison]

Mindie EATS her meth? Wtf? Is this a thing that people do?

[fliptopbox]

Mindie EATS her meth? Wtf? Is this a thing that people do?

No idea. I've done some drugs in my early 20's but have no experience with meth. Besides hallucinogenics/pills/pot brownies (etc.) I don't think there are any other drugs that you can just eat and get high. I always thought meth was something people inject, snorted, or smoked, like heroin.

[IvySpice]

Put me on the no-sympathy-for-Katherine train. Most 13-year-olds I know manage to have a little more appeal. It drives me bananas when the addicts pull the act that goes, "I love my kids more than anything in the world! [toke toke toke]" You love them less than meth. We've established that. You're not fooling anyone.

 

Yes, you can eat meth. You can eat opiates, too. They come in pill form, after all. It's a more gradual way to introduce it into your system, so most addicts prefer a faster route that brings a greater rush.