If Britney Has Serious Mental Health Issues, Are The Things She’s Talking About Normal in a Conservatorship?

She is totally insane. That much is clear.

I just think it’s weird because I’m not even that familiar with bipolar disorder yet can see the rationale for certain things. Some sound like exaggerations, but this makes me think this see why there are so many mentally ill people end up homeless and left to their own devices. Loved ones give up the fight with non violent mentally ill relatives out of self preservation. The only difference here is that she’s loaded and still a cash cow. Kind of reminds me of Frances Farmer, although I understand there were a lot of exaggerations with her story as well.

I think the truth is somewhere in the middle. Her dad is controlling, and probably goes overboard 50-80% of the time... then Britney goes manic, and makes his control look semi-justifiable. He treats her like a naughty teen, and it seriously pisses her off, just like it would piss anyone off. She feels like a kid with strict religious parents who keep her chastity belt locked while her peers can get away with almost anything.

I think her kids are 97% of the reason the judge goes along with her dad and keeps her on such a short leash. Once they're all 18+, I think the courts will be more willing to let her be almost as self-destructive as she wants to be.

Sorry to start a new discussion—didn’t realize this was being discussed so extensively already on DL.

The conservatorship she is under is very UNusual. No one with a Medical Condition should be treated this way. They could lock up her money in a trust and give her a dividend check. Remember, she has to support here children too. Clearly, it is being used incorrectly and is abusive. This is her words. She does not want it.

It jure seems like most people who are seriously mentally ill fight things in place that are to protect them from themselves. I don’t doubt it’s extreme, but not everyone is her. I dunno—I have mental health issues and I wish I had the option to stay home.

I think the reason she has such a strict conservatorship (and birth control placed on her) is that back then (2007) she did try to do something really awful to her infant kids. Maybe in manic state tried to kill them or something.

No sane person wears that much eyeliner.

I have bipolar and I think something like a conservatorship would be helpful when you're manic but the thing is that, even with severe cases of bipolar, you are NOT manic for the majority of the time. You are relatively normal and capable of making rational decisions most of the time. It seems incredibly heavy handed to me. It should be something that kicks in when your psychiatrist advises and finishes when you are deemed well and the episode would be considered over by a specialist. I do have to wonder if this is just motivated by permanent financial control, as it seems incredibly unneccessary and callous.

I used to support the conservatorship because I felt she was very unstable and was probably under one for her protection. But I realized also that there could be financial exploitation occurring because of her fame and wealth. I really don't buy that she is mentally well either. An independent party needs to investigate this honestly and her family needs to take a hike because they're toxic. If the conservatorship does end, I just hope she doesn't have any kids given her mental state. She can do whatever she wants to herself though.

She really looks like Daisy Mae from Li'l Abner in that pic

A friend of mine from high school came down with schizophrenia during fall of freshman year in college (at a good school). He acted threatening to his single mom, who promptly got him institutionalized and medicated for life. Now he's fat, lives in some kind of health condo, and boards a short bus each morning to go to all-day group therapy.

So as far as mistreating the mentally ill, it seems to me that Britney doesn't have it that bad.

Psychiatrist for 20 years. Took care of schizophrenic vets, all 100% service connected ($3500/month now). They would live by dumpsters, give their money to prostitutes, etc. none were ever put on conservatorship.

I have treated people who were basket cases - none ever placed in conservatorships like Brit.

This is 100% about money. Brit forced to lip synch and dance while her father and others make big bucks.

I have never seen a seriously mentally person be able to practice dance routines and perform under pressure like B did in Vegas.

Yet the thousands of mentally ill homeless living on the streets have no restrictions and no one can put them in a mental institution. It’s about money.

R12 you are full of shit. No one is institutionalized these days - almost all state psych hospitals shit down over 30 years ago. At the hospital where I worked we would board patients waiting to go to the state psych center- waits were 4-7 months at times.

And no one can be forced to take medication for the rest of their lives.

I wish those thousands of mentally ill and drug addicted homeless could be placed in an institution and be properly rehabilitated and treated. I live in city and many can be hostile and their lack of hygiene is a concern for the COVID-19 era. Of course fixing this would cost the government millions of dollars. Thanks, Reagan.

Anyway, we need to remove the stigma of mental illness, so people can seek treatment and even voluntarily put themselves in care. Going to psychologists should be seen as on par as going to the family doctor. It also could reduce the amount of abuse too that mentally ill people face.

She shouldn’t have been able to work if she was so disabled.

R18 She shouldn’t have been able to work if she was so disabled.

I agree. She maybe felt pressured to continue doing it after she signed on. Plus her performances were getting worse and worse every year until she quit in 2017. Hopefully she will retire and get out of the spotlight for good. But I also can't see her not wanting attention. Anyway, we're in for a ride.

Not saying this to be an asshole R13, because I respect your opinion as a psychiatrist (not being sarcastic), but comparing homeless vets by dumpsters to Britney Spears and her $60 million fortune doesn't seem relevant. Maybe if those vets had the money and family members seeking conservatorships they wouldn't be on the street? I'm not clear how it's an argument against conservatorship to say homeless people eating from dumpsters don't have them.... like yeah.... I'm sure they don't?

None of us have seen the full court records or psych evaluations. That's the reality.

But sure - "free" her. Enough already.

I don't see how anyone can watch her Insta videos and not realize she is batshit insane and unstable. Maybe she shouldn't be in a conservatorship, but all of these Free Britney bandwagon riders will be long gone once her current boy toy and other vultures take her last penny.

R20 yes, you confirmed my point. The only reason Brit is on a conservatorship is because of money. Not because of mental illness.

Being forced to have an IUD? No, this is reproductive coercion. Almost unheard of, except in cases of mental retardation.

I don't understand why her money can't be put into some sort of trust that pays her a monthly allowance. She can do whatever she wants with the "allowance" and is otherwise free to do what she wants. She, or anyone else, just doesn't have access to the entire sum.

That said, being bad with money is hardly a sign of mental illness. I'd say be bad at money management is more common than the other way around.

[R16] Thanks, Reagan? The same Reagan who left office in 1988? I understand the statement historically-speaking, but when would the situation become the responsibility of those currently in power? It's Reagan's fault after 33 years?

R13 almost had me. ..almost. And then added this little gem, [quote]I have never seen a seriously mentally person be able to practice dance routines and perform under pressure..

R15 Your hostility is unwarranted. But shame on me for sharing a personal experience on DataLounge. I’ll be sure to let my friend know that he is free to stop his medication and pick up his life just where he left it 25 years ago.

Anybody who is rational, who has seen the stuff she posts to her social media can assess that this poor woman is clearly not capable of making sound decisions. If they “free” her, the Sam Luftis of the world will creep back into her life.

R13 is a liar. He's not a psychiatrist. He's one of those psych patients who acts like a doctor.

To play devil's advocate, say the conservatorship is ended and Britney blows through her $60 million fortune due to the machinations of opportunistic, nefarious actors. Surely they're all over Las Vegas and the entertainment industry at large. What then? Will the fans and the sanctimonious writers of op-eds replenish her bank account? If the conservatorship is "unusual" perhaps it's in part due to Britney's unusual circumstances. Would it be crueler for schizophrenic Britney to be living under a bridge or at a palatial estate with all of her needs met? While it's easy to vilify the family at least she has her money, if not her marbles.

When I think of how Judy Garland ended up the conservatorship isn't looking so awful.

Where are her children?

K-Fed takes care of the kids and he is keeping them away from Britney's home because he hates Britney's father for losing his temper with one of the sons and grabbing him. But I also get the feeling he isn't a fan of Sam either.

Britney has been forcibly overmedicated by her abusive father for over a decade, of course she seems very off. She was plied with pills even before she was threatened and coerced into the conservatorship. Who the hell knows what her true mental health issues really were without all the drugs and before she was forced into essentially an open air prison for over a decade.

This is all going to get VERY bad for the conservatorship team. Lots of sketchiness surrounding how she was put into the conservatorship, how her money was handled (hint: alleged evidence of embezzlement)... her former manager has allegedly been taking her name off of everything in recent days.

There's this great california lawyer @thatsurprisewitness who's gone over all the publicly available court documents. Britney has been very wronged by this arrangement.

[R32] Can you substantiate your claims? The conservatorship is the end result of a formal legal process. Are you suggesting a conspiracy between crooked judges, lawyers and family members? The Britney-as-maiden-in-distress narrative is very suspect as if adheres too closely to fairy-tale tropes. Somehow I don't think a handsome prince is waiting in the wings to deliver Britney from the evil clutches of her satanic family.

R33 There are plenty of publicly available documents that suggest things have not been handled properly. Again, if you go to @thatsurprisewitness on instagram or youtube you'll see lots of analysis of the documents.

Not everyone has to be crooked. The probate conservatorship system moves very slowly and judges tend to not change much unless things have been very shaken up. And yes, there is also lots of cronyism within that small system. All it takes is one bad actor to strong arm his way through and hire people who will do what he wants them to do. This is why conservatorships are so dangerous... because all it takes is a lack of oversight and one bad person to make the conservatee's life hell. Also, considering that everyone is paid HANDSOMELY for their work here (Britney's former court-appointed lawyer made more than she does!!! roughly $400k a year), there just isn't a lot of incentive to change things.

To what extent is Britney responsible for her own life? A banal question, perhaps - until it reveals deeper assumptions. Is Britney nothing but a passive victim of intersectional political crimes? Is she our Mary Queen of Scots on the brink of execution? Or is she a paleo-feminist waiting to happen?

My view is, like it or not, we are responsible for our own lives. Believe me, I could paint a picture of myself as a wronged victim - at the same time knowing that others might depict me as a sadistic tyrant. Both would be exaggerations but both would have truth to them.

Whatever happened to existentialism? And why are atheists be so preoccupied with moral issues?

Congress is now going to address conservatorship abuse, a very real problem.

So...the attorneys and judges are all corrupt and risking their licenses to keep Britney locked down for...kickbacks? And the doctors are risking their licenses to keep her over-medicated for...$$$? And the social workers and other state employees who limited her custody of her children are all in on it, too? But...Britney generally seems to have a healthy and stable net worth...even though all of these licensed professionals and her Dad are all partaking of her funds?

Somebody make it make sense. Maybe the most obvious answer is that she is certifiable? The poster above had it right...it's better for her to be hanging out in her mansion rather than under a bridge and/or dead.

R37 - you're so naive - you choose the attorneys and doctors FOR her. They get a steady stream of money coming in. Her wealth has been stagnant - it has not grown, which is insane over the past 14 years.

She couldn't hire her own attorneys. She didn't have much say over ANYTHING. Of course, now they all deny it and say - she was perfectly able to get out of the conservatorship whenever she wanted. Really? Then why the hell are they fighting to keep her in one?

This is abuse of the highest level. When you're overmedicated, of course you can come off as weird - particularly if you don't need them. And all of this was used against her in court proceedings with the kids.

She was setup - there are emails about how this woman came to her house and wanted to take over her life and Britney was extremely scared. That woman then went to her Dad and got everything set up.

14 years! People should be going to jail over this.

She can still get medical treatment, if the conservatorship ends. The Talk Therapy component is not medically necessary and does seem coercive and abusive. Those people should have their licenses revoked. She could name a medical doctor as a Power of Attorney for medical decision, if she is temporary unable too. She could have a trust for the finances.

She has stated the numerous things have been done to her against her will. Conservatorship is to cut down on abusive, but it does seem like abuse and even crimes have occurred and not been prevented in this conservatorship.

She has requested that this conservatorship end, and it should end.

This situation has draw scrutiny to Conservatorships: what they actually are, and the damage they do to people. If Brittany cannot end this, or even get help by the court there to supposedly protect her, what hope does an elderly women with dementia have, if she is being abused or assaulted.

This is just really sick.

R7, I agree. Something happened that we don’t know about. Smashing a car with an umbrella and driving a car with her unbelted kid in her lap aren’t cause for the children’s removal and a heavy conservatorship.

And, as I note, there are always people where the busybodies cry “where are his family? Why don’t they help?” “Her family needs to do something about her!”

Well, this is what happens in those extreme cases when the family steps in. Even when someone has power of attorney for a parent with dementia. Someone else makes very personal decisions about their finances and medical care. Duh.

Read the caption. She’s totally stable.

That video is edited to make her look crazy.

I doubt speeding up a video would make her dancing look any more awkward, make her makeup and hair look worse or make her sound not manic.

A lot of people exercise and do not look that great.

It’s not the exercise - it’s the caption. Read the caption.

Where her dad clearly stepped over the line was when he started restricting her contacts & activities, clearly because his #1 goal was to protect Britney's brand & keep her from tainting it & diminishing its value.

Britney has enough money to spend $25k+ per month for the rest of her life without ever earning another cent. Set her up with a trust to give her an allowance, maybe buy a house or two she can't dispose of or encumber without someone's approval (someone also responsible for paying taxes & insurance and keeping it maintained), see to it that she has good health insurance, then let her live her life as she sees fit. Shield her assets from being squandered or lost, but otherwise, let her be.

Go to twitter, facebook or the comment section of Fox News.

You are so right R47

R15 you contradicted yourself. You declare that no one is institutionalized then you say some people are institutionalized after a several month waiting period. So obviously people are institutionalized. It makes perfect sense that a schizophrenic who behaved threateningly would be among the small group of people institutionalized. Also your experience is limited to the state you worked in. I think you're having a bad day so you lashed out at r12 for no reason. You should apologize for your shitty attitude.

A conservatorship is suppose to protect you from abuse. So who the fuck is taping her, editing and posting those videos? It is clear that the Conservatorship is not really protecting her. The medical treatment expect can still continue, even if the conservatorship ends.

R51 - they clearly gave her the phone back. I think her handlers are backing off given the free Britney movement - it’s more trouble than it’s worth. Her social media is reflecting that.

She is not going to comply with medication and treatment. Her whole 23 minute diatribe was about how she doesn’t really need therapy or the meds.

I hope it all works out.

I’m kind of torn—a lot of the big stars of the 80s who died before their time who spiraled didn’t get the help they needed because anyone who tried to help them and tell them what they needed to hear (friends, family) got cut out of their lives. Big celebs aren’t used to being told what’s up and wield a lot of power—and many others in their orbit will say whatever it takes to stay on the gravy train, even if the celebrity is killing themselves with drugs, alcohol etc.

This may be an example of the other extreme, but with the internet and social media, i imagine it’s harder to protect celebrities from themselves and others than it was before, especially if that person have behavioral mental health issues.

Before her conservatorship she was heading towards rock bottom. I don't think she could have climbed out of it herself. She was a sheltered girl surrounded by phonies and slimeballs. Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan were awful influences and Sam Lufti was robbing her dry. Her mom was emotionally neglectful and didn't help her at all. Then her dad stepped in and came up with the conservatorship idea. I believe she relented to it because she was afraid of losing custody and not seeing her kids again. I really don't doubt she is mentally ill given how much of a trainwreck she was in 2007. She should have retired for good after Circus but I guess she still wanted to perform and Vegas was a compromise. I think her father got corrupted by the power and became too controlling and it made Britney more and more uncomfortable. She seemed okay with the situation at first but I can her growing more and more unhappy. Her father's health is poor also, he was hospitalized a few years ago and she got put into psychiatric clinic afterwards. Regardless of what happens, whether her father is removed from the conservatorship or the conservatorship is ended altogether. I don't think Britney will ever return to what she was in her prime or be able to perform. She may even have another breakdown and hit rock bottom again. Whatever happens, we are in for a ride because I don't think it will be pretty.

When the "rotters" in the family pushed my grandfather into a Conservatorship he never once had the opportunity to speak in court. They get a posse of people in the system to throw sane old or disabled people in government care and sell their homes. It was horrifying and Kafkaesque.

In Britney's case the father got the emergency order by marking Dementia-related then never furnishing a capacity declaration. Not that he couldn't have simply "doctor shopped" until he got one, but to get this far without one is a miscarriage of justice.