Britney Spears is, unquestionably, a super star who has worked hard to attain the type of stardom she currently enjoys, but there's a fly in the ointment here; she has a mental illness. We've know this since the time she was found to have gone into a hair stylist shop and had her head shaved, then there were other bizarre incidents that didn't match with her usual behavior. What was wrong?
How did she go from super sexy, super talented singer to being held in a mental health facility, reportedly, against her will?
Actually, there have been times in her past where she has had to reach out for treatment and now that her father is seriously ill, the stress dial is up to 10; time for help. The Instagram video she posted to reassure fans that all is well does not give the impression that "all is well," however. She appears like a woman who is in need of professional help.
Earlier reports had indicated that she was under psychiatric care and was taking a "medication cocktail," nothing unusual for certain disorders. Once thought of as uncondoned polypharmacy, these medication regimes are now being used frequently. The problem is that any medication regimen for psychiatric disorders is trial-and-error prescribing with the full knowledge that the "cocktail" will eventually lose its effect.
Known as the "poop out" effect, it is the body's reaction to the meds and, in time, the therapy no longer works. When this does happen, unfortunately, patients are often blamed for not taking their meds, which is untrue. The patients are taking their medications but the medications are no longer useful. Everyone in the mental health field should know this by now, but apparently it's not gotten around to everyone.
Then, too, let's look at any mental disorder. One thing that is probably the most probable cause for an abrupt break in behavior is stress. High levels of stress, such as a family illness, produce enormous amounts of change in the body, combating the effectiveness of the current medications. Managing stress remains one of the most important activities anyone can put on their daily schedule.
But, when you're in show business, where the relentless demands of the business make it increasingly difficult to manage stress, especially family illness, what can you do? One solution is to seek "shelter" in a facility that provides the ability to escape from the demands, if even for a short time. The career, however, can be damaged and that's where the cover stories come in.
Does Britney Spears need involuntary commitment to a mental health facility or did she go of her own free will? It shouldn't matter to anyone but her, but those who make their living off of her career and its earnings potential see it as an investment in their future.
We've seen many performers have to either pull themselves out of their careers temporarily or leave the business entirely. Some have sought refuse in street or prescription drugs. What happened to Elvis? The names are legend, but I won't list them here. It's a simple enough Google search to find any of them.
Some will see themselves as protectors, but where were the protectors when it was obvious that Whitney Houston was addicted to drugs and needed help? Reading the media stories, you got the impression that there was nothing wrong and that people were telling lies. These untruths led to a young woman dying alone in a hotel bathroom where she drowned because of the drugs she was taking. Should she have been involuntarily committed for drug addiction or some psychiatric disorder? It might have saved her life.
Britney's life is complicated and she's going through a horrendous time right now. Does she need false protection or help? What would you say?