What Halliburton of the spirit will win the bidding for the reconstruction of Britney Spears? The pop star was taken to Cedars-Sinai Hospital last night for an evaluation after a bizarre standoff in which she refused to turn over her children to her ex-husband’s bodyguards, per their custody agreement; but, she can't stay there forever. Could it be Scientology? EST? Joel Osteen? The Dalai Lama? Buddha? Yoga? Oprah? How about a good old, run-of-the-mill therapist?
While various reports state that Britney was “under the influence” during the altercation, TMZ.com’s “well-placed sources” report that “what happened last night is not rooted in drugs, and that of late, her mental state has deteriorated to the point that what happened at her home was not unexpected” and that she is on a "5150 hold," meaning "there's evidence she's a danger to herself or others.” In fact, the same sources have been telling TMZ.com for months that Brit-Brit’s erratic behavior is not due to a drug or alcohol problem, but her increasingly deteriorating mental health.
Unfortunately for Ms. Spears, having a drug and alcohol problem is far more acceptable in this country than having a mental health crisis. According to the National Mental Health Awareness Campaign, nearly two-thirds of all people with a diagnosable mental disorder do not seek treatment due to the stigma surrounding mental health issues. And that doesn’t even take into consideration those who cannot afford treatment due to lack of health insurance.
If it’s so difficult for the typical American to seek out mental health help, imagine being a celebrity with the self- and media-imposed sense of perfection and/or narcissism keeping you from admitting any weakness or illness. Remember in 2000 when Mariah Carey checked herself in to Connecticut’s Silver Hill Hospital for “exhaustion” and became the punch line du jour for the late night comics? Meanwhile, a European acquaintance of mine was recently given three weeks of paid vacation for suffering from job related stress and had no problems telling everyone exactly that.
Sure, Britney’s already the butt of a million and one jokes, but could it be possibly more beneficial to her career to spin her antics as drug-and-alcohol-induced with a spiritual or twelve-step solution rather than a struggle with a mental health disorder? Unfortunately, being a pop star/pop tart battling depression doesn’t quite lend itself to the mystique of a Kurt Vonnegut taking on the “noonday demon.”
Admittedly, I’ll rubberneck at celebrity misfortune with the best of them, but I sincerely want the Britney circus to come to an end. Perhaps with her seemingly level-headed father at her side – who was properly outraged at Jamie Lynn’s pregnancy and that his ex-wife agreed to sell the story, Britney will be able to seek out the help and support that she needs, not just some self-help guru or ephemeral existential plaster. I truly hope she does; to have Britney make a comeback and be as open about her mental health struggles as she has recently been with showing the public her underwear, or lack thereof, would be a tremendous help and inspiration for regular Americans battling depression.
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Yes, why it is okay to mock and vilify people searching mental healp? It is okay to drink or drug yourself, but not to suffer from illness YOU CANNOT HELP! In the world of entertainment - especially horror - the sewers can spill their waste freely, what come to the vilifying mentally ill as the inhuman monsters. Gross...
have u ever had your children taken away from u,,,???
i have and it will drive you nuts,,, makes you pull at straws and do stupid stuff,its hard to understand unless you have been there,,, you feel you have no control over anything including yourself,, i was not able to see my son for 18 months because i spanked him when he was nine years old,,cruel?? yes for me and my son, i was a basket case ,, and yes sometimes life isnt fair,,, but sometimes we have to just suck it up and hold on,, because this too shall pass,,,,
I truly agree with the comments made form Rick above, 100% i whould re-write everything.
Britney, if you read this, take a moment to read how much you worry your true fans, the ones that don't make fun of you, but feel pretty sad everytime we have to see your kids pictures or you doing something wrong on every cover of a magazine. i am a mother as well, about your age and i see your kids eyes and they brake my heart. i would do anything for my daugther ANYTHING!, i know you can be a good mother as well because God granted you with that blessing, and God doesn't make mistakes.-
You can start by picking up whatever's left and start forming a new better life with your kids, prove the world you are BRITNEY SPEARS, prove the media you hit the ground hard... but picked YOURSELF up and made it thru. You are a beautiful women, you have talent, and girl i'm sure theres people out there that want to see you HAPPY and ENJOY life the way GOD wants you 2, i definetly want to see that happen, i wanna see you perform again, i wanna see you with your kids having fun in the beach, disneyland you name it, make them proud of you, of who you really are inside and not the one the media made out of you... always remember that it's you responsability to make somebody out of those boys...
And take care because we really care for you, and if we didn't we would not be waisting our time writting to you, because we really don't know if you will ever see this.
But we will keep praying.
I feel really sad at what our world has come to. We put these stars as idols and the Bible says let there be no Idols. We can't get enough of them. We read every little thing into their lives then we criticize them for not being perfect. We're all not perfect, but God created us in his image. He gave us each a talent and we can share our talents as pleasing to the Lord. I myself am guilty of following peoples lives. I'm learning not to cast judgment on them and pray for them. If they have become someone I feel I need to follow then that's when I pray for myself as well. Britney is a beautifull women. I hope that she will find somebody that actually cares about her well being and get her the help she needs. It would be a great blessing to see her get the proper help and get her life back on track. Let's all pray that we will get to witness the work of our Father in Heaven on her life.
i CAN IDENTIFY WITH bRITTANY. i AND MY DAUGHTER SUFFER FROM DEPRESSIVE. wE SHOULD HELO AND PRAY FOR PEOPLE WITH THIS DISORDER.
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