I feel very sorry for Britney Spears

[LostinVA]

Seriously.

She obviously has a real mental and/or emotional condition, and the only "support" she has are the so-called parents who have pimped her out and lived off of her and her sister's earnings, and "friends" who use her.

The authorities really need to allow her ONLY supervised visits with her kids until she gets the REAL MEDICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL HELP SHE NEEDS (IE NOT Dr. Phil!!!!

[KitchenWitch]

1. I completely agree with you.

Her parents, especially, ought to be really ashamed of themselves.

[Fire Walk With Me]

2. She's the Jackie Coogan of our time.

Hopefully, as with Jackie, such bullshit will result in positive perspective and changed policies.

[LostinVA]

3. I agree -- I think parents shouldn't eb allowed to amke one cent off their celeb kids

I've read that Sarah Michelle Gellar's mom NEVER used any of her daughter's money for living expenses, and she turned out a pretty decent kid.

[LynneSin]

18. She's the Neely O'Hara of our time

complete with 2 kids turned over to her ex-husband

[LostinVA]

33. Damn... I never thought of that

[LynneSin]

55. Actually I think she's a little bit Neely and Michael Jackson combined

the one thing that Neely didn't have that Michael did was parents who forced their kid into the limelight and negating most of their childhood. Neely was an orphan although in vaudeville as a small child as the results of being raised by her older sister. Michael Jackson; however, was a product of a father who pushed his kid into Stardom at a young age. To this day I see Michael Jackson as someone trying to live out the childhood he never had.

[Skittles]

39. hey LynneSin

I'm a VOTD fan - Neely didn't have kids did she?

[LynneSin]

54. She had twin boys - Jud and Bud

She was married to Ted Casablanca - the costume designer that everyone thought was gay (and was cheating on her with a few guys - I guess he was bisexual because he cheated with women too).

During her stint at the longterm care center (ie Funny Farm as Neely would say) she mentioned to Anne that the twins visited her and were repulsed at her appearance. (Neely gained weight at the hospital but could sing like a Canary again)

[Skittles]

57. ???

is that only in the book? I've seen the movie so many times - it is absolute trash but I love it!!!

[LostinVA]

66. Sissy scares me!

:scared:

[Orrex]

56. True, but can she orally illuminate lightbulbs?

If not, then she's on her own.

[Fire Walk With Me]

62. I say that we go and find out for ourselves.

[ThomCat]

4. I agree.

I have thought for a long time now that she has just lost control over her life. She needs some help. :(

The constant press and pressure of a public lifestyle has really left her without that stable core than anyone needs in order to build a stable life. Some celebrities manage it, but clearly she hasn't.

[Tektonik]

5. I feel very sorry for her kids

Britney's story may be tragic in some ways, but I don't feel that sorry for her :shrug:. I do wish she'd get better though.

[FloridaJudy]

6. Agreed

This went from "amusing" to "tragic" long ago. Look at her eyes - there's no soul there, and hasn't been for almost a year. This kid needs real help, not hangers-on and exploiters. Maybe some other celeb with a few years of sobriety/sanity could intervene: not Dr. Phil! The very fact he's making a publicity issue out of this means his ethics suck swamp water.

Maybe someone could slip her a card with the phone number of Hazelton, or Wayside House (my alma mater).

[KitchenWitch]

14. I am an alumna of both Hazelden and Wayside House in Mpls.

Hazelden for short term, and Wayside for "reentry into society"

[FloridaJudy]

21. I was in the Wayside House in Delray Beach

Women only, and just about the best rehab in the world. Far from elegant, and strict as hell. It sure wasn't easy, but what they gave me you couldn't buy for a million bucks. We have some really famous alumnae, though I'm obviously not one. B-)

[KitchenWitch]

24. :-)

Yes, Wayside House was where I had to learn to trust other women. Hazelden was mixed, but I had a full 6 months with the Wonderful Women of Wayside!

:D

[sasquatch]

35. Why? Was this after or before college?

[Crabby Appleton]

50. exactly nt

[jmm]

7. This is the only time I've heard somebody talk infront of

a camera and sound like they cared about her-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bbaRyDLMvA


Her parents and Dr. Phil only care about what she could do for them or else they would realize the last thing she needs is her problems to be dragged in the public eye. These people who claim to care for her are only enabling the press frenzy and are further isolating her and making it more difficult for her to seek the help she needs.

[LostinVA]

9. Her parents will be on DR. PHIL Tuesday -- ugh

I've decided her parents are worse than Drew Barrymore's... and Drew at least had other adults who cared about her.

[FloridaJudy]

17. That clip is a classic.

Ferguson gets it. I wish more people did.

[KitchenWitch]

25. I appreciate Craig Ferguson's humility in that clip!

I am planning on going to see a taping of his show one of these days.

[Connonym]

41. if you do, blow some kisses towards him from me

I have such a huge crush on him. I'm so glad he's back on air (with the writers!) and I'm eagerly anticipating his next novel.

[SocratesInSpirit]

32. Great clip - very heartfelt

It was sad how the audience was laughing at some parts that were clearly not funny... but I suppose it was a nervous reaction.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

60. Wow...

:cry:
That was decent...

[redqueen]

69. Aww... thanks for posting that.

I knew I was right to be fond of that guy. And not just for his sexy, sexy accent. :)

[SPKrazy]

8. I agree

she has a sad situation

and she didn't choose this life, her mother did

and something is seriously wrong with her...

She needs real help, but like anyone else she won't get it unless she is dangerous to herself or others, or if she goes voluntarily for it.

Even then, some don't get much help.

(moment for my tirade against stigma and mistreatment of the mentally ill)

Our country still differentiates between "mental" and "physical" illness and society still blames the victim of mental illness, while they give the physical illness person a pass.

The truth is that all illness is a combination of things above the neck and things below the neck going wrong. We know for instance, that almost all persons who undergo certain types of heart surgery become depressed afterwards and that treatment of that depression increases their chances for survival. Yet, mental illness is covered differently by most insurances, and even Medicare, which essentially covers 50% for the person for outpatient help.

Pills are thrown at the mentally ill without the same consideration given to therapy and support in a lot of cases.

:grr:

[LostinVA]

11. You're preaching to trhe choir re:"mental" health in this country

It's why my PPO doctor is one who uses a "whole body" approach.
aI ahd forgotten she was on the "Mickey Mouse Club" until Haruka reminded me a little while ago. They pimped her out early.

[Fire Walk With Me]

20. Good post. It also reminds me of the quote about alcoholism:

It's the only (incurable) disease people yell at you for having.

:shrug:

[SPKrazy]

61. true enough

and sadly a disease that society vacillates back and forth on whether it is a "moral issue" or a disease.

Given the data available, I am appalled at the shift back towards moral issue, mainly to save money, and at the expense of the lives of those who have the disease.

:hi:

[amitten]

10. Me too. Regardless of money fame and so on, I cannot imagine

that ANYONE on this planet could mentally withstand the constant public scrutiny/trashing that woman has suffered. People talk about her like they hate her with a passion...pure venom. They've never even met her. It's sick.

I know she's dumb, trashy, attention-hungry, etc. That doesn't mean she's deserving of every conceivable form of ridicule and hatred that the world can possibly hurl at her 24/7 (which it has).

I think the public are monsters--far more than any of the poor souls they harass.

I'm not a Britney fan. I am a fan, however, of basic human compassion for all.

[cabraverde]

12. not to be morbid

But I really do believe that she wil be commiting either suicide or become an inmate in the near future. So sad to see a complete collapse of a promising future.

very sad indeed. but there is no way that we as a society can NOT watch this most interesting trainwreck.

[RainDog]

13. this is sad

her behavior reminds me of my ex, who is bipolar...he never went out and showed some crotch, but he did have to be hospitalized more than once, he did try to kill himself more than once, he did check himself out of the hospital after he went in voluntarily and I had to sign papers to commit him the next day. It's a very painful illness to live with and it can make others ill as well from the stress.

I wish the judge could have her committed. He would probably be saving her life.

I've never understood why people wanted to be "stars" and famous, etc. That would be my idea of hell.

[Midlodemocrat]

23. Dude. Could your statement BE more morbid?

Jesus.

[sasquatch]

36. But it's how he truly feels

[Skittles]

40. finding the trainwreck entertaining

is sadder than the trainwreck itself

[LostinVA]

51. And more than a bit sick, eh?

[flvegan]

30. Indeed.

How brilliant.

[Downtown Hound]

15. I think there's a lot more going on with her than any of us will ever know

And I think she's the victim of people that have used her and abused her since she was a child. And sadly, she will probably go the way of Marilyn Monroe or Anna Nicole Smith. It's not a foregone conclusion, but I think she's heading that way, and I think she's being driven to that by those around her. And odds are, we will never know the full truth of what really happened.

[LynneSin]

19. This is also why I call her the Michael Jackson of our generation

He had parents that pushed him into celebrity status to the point that Michael never had a childhood. The face you see on Michael today is a result of the horror his life was as a child

[LynneSin]

16. She also has the paparazzi following her everywhere she goes

I have this thing about crowded elevators that drives me nuts - Britney is living a life where everywhere she goes it's like a crowded elevator.

I never realized how bad it was until I saw the footage where she stole the bic lighter. You could see the photographers following and flashing every step she takes. That has to get old

[Midlodemocrat]

22. She's a little old for a teenaged onset of bipolar disorder, and

at the risk of Fristing her, it doesn't appear as though she had it as a child.

My money is on PPP. She had those two little boys pretty close together and starting melting down.

[matcom]

28. "Fisting" posts are against the DU rules

:hide:

[Skittles]

42. THERE you are, Matcom

still coveting the ass-kickings, I see :hi:

[Ellen Forradalom]

29. Post partum psychosis sounds like a good candidate

Although the stresses of pregnancy and childbirth can trigger latent bipolar too. In either case, it's a serious situation.

[LostinVA]

34. You probably get cats from the local pound, too

hehehehehhehehe

I used to think she was just a trashy spoiled brat, until the whole head-shaving thing. The look in her eyes in those photos....

[sasquatch]

38. Well they have a deal where she lives: Adopt a cat and get a free box of wine

:D

[Bake]

76. I suspect the head-shaving was an attempt to beat a drug test

Hard to sample hair if there's none there.

Bake

[Droopy]

46. I don't know what's wrong with Britney, but

The most common onset age for serious mental illness is 18-25. Britney is 26 and has obviously been unwell for quite some time.

But mental illness can develop in people at any time during their lives. I've heard of little kids developing schizophrenia and elderly people developing bipolar disorder.

I hope something positive comes out of Britney's current struggles. I see the potential for a lot of great music coming out of this and maybe a great advocate for the mentally ill in this country.

[Ilsa]

58. I haven't heard of any stories where she claims to be hearing

voices or having that kind of psychotic behavior. Then again, I don't follow all the Brit news.

[Ellen Forradalom]

26. Absolutely. She's sick and there is NO SHAME in being sick.

There is shame in laughing at her, and in exploiting her, and in keeping her from the assistance she needs to make a full recovery.

[Beausoir]

27. I used to make fun of her, back in the crotch flashing days. Now, I feel sad for her.

Think about the millions of people who have the same mental illness and don't get the pap attention.

Just wandering, frightened, alone.

All the way around...a very sad story.

[SocratesInSpirit]

31. Me too

I really hope she gets the help she needs before it's too late...

And I'd love to read the following in a news story, "Britney Spears' mother, who has not left her daughter's side, could not be reached for comment." Instead, she appears to be on the phone with all the media. Sad. :-(

[LostinVA]

52. And taping a Dr. Phil episode TODAY with Britney's father

To be aired tomorrow.

UGH.

[Skittles]

37. I am with you

I also think it should be against the law how she is never given a moment's peace when she does ANYTHING - it's inhumane, it is STALKING.

[krispos42]

43. She needs to spend time on a ranch in Montana..

o in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Or something. Dye the hair, drop the makeup, take on an assumed name. Buy a pickup truck, rent a cabin on a decent parcel of land.

Someplace where she isn't bothered by anybody and had to fend for herself. A year or so.

She needs to spend that time learning how to be a normal person again, shopping for sustinance, not recreation. Doing some yardwork. Making a flower garden. Chopping firewood. Camping. Fishing. Hiking. Hunting. Photography.

And no agents or anybody else like that. Publicists, accountants, producers, anybody. Get a checking account with a debit card and tell the accountant to drop five grand in the account once a month. And just see a counselor a couple of times a week.

[skygazer]

74. "...learning how to be a normal person again..."

Has she ever had the opportunity to be a normal person? She was on the Mickey Mouse Club as a kid, who knows what before that.

I know when I divorced my second husband, I spent several years "finding myself." I'd become a mom at 19 and had been successively someone's daughter, someone's mom, someone's girlfriend, someone's wife - I'd never been ME.

I was in my 30's, after a low-key life in which no one ever took my photo and splashed it across tabloids and I didn't really know what I liked to do, what my true opinions were, how I liked to decorate or spend my time or anything. If it was such a revelation to a person like me, how much more would it be to someone who has lived a life in the glare of celebrity?

It is sad, and sickening and I wonder just how close to "normal" she will ever be able to get. :(

[Indi Guy]

44. Yet another case of a young person growing up, without having been prepared for life...

...emotionally & and in practical terms.

I'm sure there's an insecure little kid at the center of the "adult" Britney. I worry about all the people she represents in the world, and their kids.

[Inchworm]

45. She needs to marry me

without a prenumpt. I'd "rescue" the kids and be flush. hmm.. ok.. thats the beer talking :silly:

She needs to accept real help.

:hi:

[FVZA_Colonel]

47. I really think Jamie Lynn needs to be taken from Lynn Spears' custody.

I am genuinely a bit scared for what that girl will be like at... hell, at age 20 if she continues under the "guidance" of her mother, if her sisters' tragic life (if you can even call it a life any more) is any indication.

[bridgit]

48. So do I, girl seems to have no creative feedback/sounding board in her life...

she has bodyguards, but no one to protect her from herself and it's sad

[LisaL]

49. Since she is an adult, that help can not be forced on her

unless she wants it.

[Bread and Circus]

53. That is a key point!

I do not believe that it is about her parents or the fame, she has a mental illness. Like so many other people with her illness there is only so much other people can do to help her. It is all a part of the frustrating cycle that all families of people with mental illness can attest to. Although I do not have any faith in her parents, it does seem that they want her to get help. There are a lot of laws and policies in place that prevent them from forcing this help on her.

[Ilsa]

59. Unless she becomes a physical danger to herself or others.

And even then, there are limits, from what I've seen.

[redqueen]

70. True enough, but acting like a vicious pack of dogs

and ripping her apart isn't okay just because she won't seek help.

[allalone]

63. me too

she needs to be on a suicide watch. and she needs a real doctor, not that phony dr. Phil

[TreasonousBastard]

64. Britney and Christina Aguilera followed the same...

path for a while.

Blowing away the competition in the kiddie talent pageants, becoming Mouseketers together, and eventually growing up.

Read between the lines and Aguilera had some really tough times, with a meltdown here and there, but she made it, more or less. Spears just couldn't cut it on her own as an adult-- no training for the job, and no real internal resources. Remember when she tried to use Madonna as her muse? Fell off a cliff on that one simply because she's not Madonna.

Look at all the celebrities on meltdown and wonder howcum there aren't more. Sure, they get lotsa money and attention, but there's pressures on them 24/7 that none of us have to deal with. Maybe J-Lo loves the entourage and the lifestyle, but to most of us it's too much baggage to carry around. And to some of them, too.

Britney needs some real friends to help her out. She's already had too much Dr. Phil.

[WritingIsMyReligion]

65. I have a hard time caring too much, considering what a talentless hack she is.

It's quite sad, but then again, I'm sure there are all sorts of young women all over the world as bad off as she is or worse so. None of these young women need televised assistance; they all need medical help, and quickly. I hope Britney gets what she need, whether it's serious attention or more like a virtual smack in the face, and I hope, as always, that others who need it as well get the same.

[LynneSin]

67. Don't fool yourself - Britney can sing

She's been doing it since she was a kid including a win on Star Search.

Britney's problem is bad career advice and parents that care more about making money off of their kids then actually allowing their kids to have a normal childhood.

[Bake]

68. She is not mentally ill (AFAICS), she is a spoiled brat

with no talent whatsoever, who is accustomed to getting her way 10000% of the time. She can't understand it that she's no longer getting her way. She can't understand it that people are finally catching on to the "no-talent" thing.

Did I add that she is absolutely irresponsible? The whole "gotta go out drinking every night with no panties on" thing? When she has two children to care for?

I have no sympathy for her. And it's NOT just because she made that brainless quip about "we should always trust our president."

Compassion has its limits.

Bake

[redqueen]

71. Thanks.

I'm not even going to bother arguing with you, but at least I know what kind of person you are.

[LostinVA]

73. You proved the point of some posters upthread

People in this country just don't get mental illness.

[Bake]

75. Sometimes it IS mental illness. I get that.

But sometimes it's just someone who needs to grow the f**k up.

Bake

[LostinVA]

82. She exhibits many, many signs of having a mental illness

[Missy Vixen]

72. BTW, I'm sure everyone on this thread already knows this

but it seems Dr. Phil is getting some heat from mental health professionals on his now-cancelled "intervention"...

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jCi9IipOCulyedxVUddN3vckzqXgD8U1N89G0

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Dr. Phil's public brand of tough love sometimes makes him tough to love, particularly among mental health professionals who are accusing television's self-help guru of making an uncalled-for house call on Britney Spears this week.

Although Dr. Phil — whose full name is Phillip McGraw — announced Monday that he is shelving plans for a show on Spears' latest breakdown, some in the mental health community say just showing up at her hospital room last week was going too far.

"It's true people sometimes need to be placed under involuntary mental health treatment because they can't take care of themselves," veteran psychiatrist Dr. Jeffrey Sugar said of the 26-year-old Spears. "But there's a difference between being detained involuntarily for psychological treatment and being forced to endure Dr. Phil involuntarily."

I'm hoping this may be the thing that finally pushes him back into obscurity...
Julie

[underpants]

78. TDO

Temporary Detaining Order

Happens everyday

[Joe Fields]

79. Dr. Phil is a hack and a con man who was run out of Kansas and Texas,

long before he became "Dr. Phil." I don't know why people watch him, let alone trust him. Do you really think he cares about Ms. Spears? IMO, he is looking for even more publicity, and to make this Brittney media freak show even more bizzarre.

[Bake]

77. How do you know she "obviously has a real mental ... condition?"

Seriously. I came off as lacking basic human compassion upthread, but seriously: how do you know she "obviously" has a mental/emotional condition? According to the reports in the news, the only thing I know of that she "obviously" has is a substance abuse problem. She can and should get treatment for that -- wait, didn't she go to rehab and bail out once or twice already?

I'm not a doctor, so I can't say she "obviously" has a mental condition. If she does, I sincerely hope she gets the help she needs. If she doesn't, she needs to get treatment for her substance abuse problem and otherwise grow the hell up.

Bake

[Missy Vixen]

80. IMHO, YMMV

I'm not Mr. Frist, so I'm going to have to go with the stuff in the media.

Ms. Spears obviously has some kind of substance abuse issue. When that's not happening, her parents seemed to be woefully unsuited for the job at hand. Of course, that's IMHO, YMMV, and allegedly, to quote Kathy Griffin. They seemed much more interested in the cash she generated from her work than to parent.

The whole shaving her head and other weird incidents over the past several months may indicate some kind of difficulty we all don't know about. "Dr." Phil's visiting her hospital room (and making sure there was publicity surrounding it,) is nothing more than self-promotion. She needs someone that can actually get through to her in some fashion.

Again, IMHO, YMMV.
Julie

[LostinVA]

81. Because she behaves as if she does

Some of it is "spoiled brat" (and trashy) behavior... but some of it is definitely MAJOR signs of some kind of mental illness.

[last_texas_dem]

83. I just wish the media would shut up about her

I wish they'd get off her back and let her deal with whatever is wrong with her. I don't know enough to assess what is wrong with her, but I can't stand the media vultures that turn around and prey on the same folks they used to spend their time sucking up to; whatever will most effectively make them money seems to be the ticket.