This case study seeks to explore som of the complexities involved in a child's and later a young woman's efforts to be recognized by the adult world as a human being in deep trouble. It originates from an interview with Mary, a twenty-three-year-old woman who participated in my study of social network responses to young people with health problems. Since her family was the locus of her troubles, she had tried to get recognition from adults at a daycare center, from the healthcare system, from social services, at school, and finally from the Stockholm City Mission (SCM), a nongovernmental organization providing help for socially vulnerable people in the city of Stockholm.