Whenever I hear about a celebrity in trouble with drugs or other destructive behavior, I always think about the parents. Just because your kid becomes an adult does not mean you no longer worry about them. And if that grown child is making spectacularly bad choices, the feeling of helplessness and pain can be intense and life-altering.

Just ask Mitch Winehouse. His daughter, Amy Winehouse, is famous for being a mess. If you aren't familiar with her song Rehab, click here for the lyrics. That should tell you everything you need to know about Ms. Winehouse and her state of mind.

Recently, Winehouse and her husband Blake Fielder-Civil had a very public, drug-fueled fight that ended with both of them bloodied and bruised. The pictures of the couple after the fight are quite disturbing. But instead of heading off to rehab, where they clearly belong, the couple chose to patch things up on a vacation in St Lucia.

Amy's dad saw those awful pictures and reacted like most any parent would. He tells how he was "sickened and wanted to die" after seeing the photographic evidence of his daughter's downward spiral. "I would just ask everyone who has sent me their good wishes to pray for her, as I do. I go to my father's grave and I pray. Unless you sit on someone and tie them up and handcuff them - which you obviously cannot do - you have to sit back and let things take their course. That is all I can do," he says.

Amy responded by text messaging her dad , saying "I am as right as rain. Love you Dad." I imagine Mr. Winehouse wants desperately to believe his daughter is fine, but all the signs say otherwise. My heart goes out to him.