Britney Spears A Hot Topic For Shrinks

American Psychoanalytic Association Members Discuss Media Coverage Of Troubled Pop Star

(AP)  You wouldn't think a pop culture diva like Britney Spears would exactly fit into the usual fare on discussion at the annual winter conference of the American Psychoanalytic Association.

But last week, on the sidelines of the gathering of hundreds of analysts from around the country, the topic did indeed arise - specifically those armchair diagnoses of the troubled starlet's mental health, popping up in celebrity magazines and tabloids everywhere.

"Britney's Mental Illness." "Bipolar Britney?" And so on. Under such headlines, articles have gone on to quote psychiatrists or psychologists who've never met Spears, saying she exhibits "classic" signs of one disorder or another.

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Photos: Standoff At Britney's

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"I've been very upset about this," says Mark Smaller, a psychoanalyst from Chicago who attended last week's meetings at Manhattan's Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. "This idea of making a diagnosis of someone they've never met is completely inappropriate, and it gives mental health professionals a bad name."

Not to mention that it's medically wrong. Smaller says that to make any real diagnosis, it can take several thorough consultations with a patient at the very least. "Trying to make such a diagnosis based purely on someone's behavior" - and worse, their behavior as portrayed selectively by the media - "is scientifically impossible," says Smaller, also director of the Neuropsychoanalysis Foundation.

But even more, say Smaller and other therapists interviewed, it could actually harm Spears by preventing her from getting the real help she needs. And on a broader scale, such therapy-by-media could discourage other troubled people from seeking care as well.

"It's not right to this one person," says Dr. Gail Saltz, a New York psychoanalyst and psychiatrist. "But on a grander scheme, it also makes people afraid. They're afraid their confidence might be broken. Or they're afraid they'll become labeled. And labels are very frightening to people."

It's hardly a cause for wonder how coverage of Spears has reached the point of quibbling over which mental illness might afflict her. Each development in the Spears story, including Wednesday's sudden departure from court before a custody hearing, has upped the scandal ante. From her "mommy foibles," which now seem positively quaint, to her head-shaving incident to her attacking a car with an umbrella to her painful custody dispute, her story gets so much more dire with each passing month that you wonder what could possibly be next.

But the moment that set headline writers into overdrive came on Jan. 3, when police were called to Spears' home after she refused to turn over her two boys to a representative for ex-husband Kevin Federline, locking herself in a room with one boy. Police, who said she was intoxicated, had to restrain her; paramedics were called and she was whisked away to a hospital, paparazzi in pursuit.

That's when TV's "Dr. Phil" McGraw paid a visit, then made public statements later that she was in dire need of medical and psychological help. Relatives said he'd crossed the line in talking about her publicly, and he later said he regretted making the statements.

But numerous other psychiatrists and mental health professionals have been quoted as well, speculating on what might afflict Spears. And that, says People magazine's deputy managing editor, Peter Castro, was a necessary element of the story.

"What people need to realize is that we had sources very close to Britney - more than one - telling us that they believed she did indeed suffer from mental illness, and some even used the term bipolar disorder," says Castro. "So it was only responsible on our part to ask a specialist in this kind of behavior. You had a woman here who was hospitalized. This is the first time we were hearing that hey, all this nutty behavior may really have something to do with mental illness, maybe bipolar disorder."

The National Institute of Mental Health defines bipolar disorder (also known as manic-depressive illness) as a brain disorder that causes unusual shifts in a person's mood, energy and ability to function. About 5.7 million American adults or about 2.6 percent of the population age 18 and older are said to have the disorder. It is often treated with medications known as mood stabilizers.

Saltz, who comments regularly in the media, says she's frequently been asked to comment on Spears. It's one thing, she notes, to discuss what concerns a doctor might have when a young woman has two toddlers, is going through a divorce and is suspected of substance abuse. It's another thing, she says, to speculate she has something specific like bipolar disorder.

After all, Saltz says, a diagnosis of bipolar disorder is a very complicated one - one that takes knowledge and context, a lot of questions and a lot of patient history.

"It's not like a blood test," she says. "Brains don't have a check box."

Others point out that it's exceedingly hard to diagnose any mental illness, let alone bipolar disorder, when substance abuse plays a possible role. "How do you know what's going on?" asks Dr. Susan Jaffe, a psychiatrist and analyst in New York. "It confounds the diagnosis because you don't have a clean slate."

Jaffe says another contributing factor has to be considered: the strain of the constant media coverage itself. "What's all this media stress doing to her?" she asks.

All the speculation over Spears' mental health strikes Jaffe, for one, as unseemly, and for a reason entirely unrelated to the medical issues.

"Everyone's standing around and watching her fall apart, and that's just very sad," says Jaffe. "This is someone's life."

[dgshiner]

It is funny how this world is when you are rich and acting a fool showing your behind in public you are labeled as having a mental illness or melt down, But if someone who was not an entertainer did what this young woman has done they would be under a jail cell.

Next no one made Brit do any of the things she is doing, drugs, ***, wild behavior, and truth be known I am not buying half of this *** the media is posting. She can do better and if nothing else stay out of public view, this chick is a pro, and a Con very manipulative, and she has money enough to throw around to continue her tyrades of delusional grandeur. What I fine hard to believe is all of these judges and supposedly psycho-anoes, trying to justify this nasty dysfunctional lieing manipulative twit. And when will the Paparazzi get enough of this bimbo?

[closethippy1]

Posted by kevzgrl at 10:16 AM : Jan 24, 2008

Thank you.

[kevzgrl]

"All she has wanted is a loving marriage and family - and that was violated by Federline."
Posted by mygramma

Just exactly HOW did he violate the marriage? SHE was the one who dumped him via text message - she was the one who had a boyfriend (or two) before the legal separation papers were even issued. SHE is the one who left court not once, but TWICE now when the chips were on the table for the visitation/custody of those two precious little boys - and HE is the one who has taken care of them for the last year, and MADE them a family, without any fanfare and without ANY dirt at all from the press (and with the media the way they are, if there were ANYTHING at all to see/write about, they would be there!!!)

Mainly, what you see here is a spoiled, rich WOMAN (pleeeze stop calling her a girl - she IS 26 years old) who thinks the sun shines out of her bu-tt and that since she is "Britney" she can do anything she dam-n well pleases, and the laws and customs of "regular" people don''t apply to her. She has been taught this since she first appeared on the Mickey Mouse Club, despite only a moderate amount of talent and looks. Nothing in her experience the last 15 years has shown her any different, so of course, she is going to continue acting this way, no matter what. I believe we will be reading that obituary the AP has been preparing real soon.....

[DScott750]

LIke I''ve been saying. Her actions and the actions of Lindsey Lohan need to be ignored. ENTIRELY.
Doesn''t matter how trivial the matter is. Until these two and others who are Celeb Mething (see Urban Dictionary) cease, they should be treated like old Hollywood dealt with celebs who got out of hand.

[mygramma]

closethippy1, matvei1107, you are both idiots. "Any psychiatrist or psychologist with a diploma can see the textbook signs of mental illness on her from a mile away." That is pure ignorant nonsense. It is exactly your kind of moron thinking the shrinks at their meeting are saying is clinically wrongheaded and unprofessional.

And closethippy1 says "She just doesn''t know how to handle stressful situations since she was brought up a spoiled brat." This comment may have a touch of truth in it - but the fallacy is that she was "brought up" a spoiled brat. Except for the influence of church and the ethic for kindness and politeness, she BROUGHT HERSELF UP since age eight. She worked ceaselessly until marrying her dirt bag husband Federline, has sold 90 million albums generating more than a billion dollars in revenue for the record industry, and recently released her best album ever.

How is she a spoiled brat? All she has wanted is a loving marriage and family - and that was violated by Federline. Is she immature? Yes, in some ways. But for God''s sake, she had no childhood. She has earned the right to flip off the bad guys while paying the price for doing it.

Leave her alone.

[closethippy1]

I truly believe Ms. Spears has no mental illness. She just doesn''t know how to handle stressful situations since she was brought up a spoiled brat.
Combine that with a huge ego and lots of money and you have a pathetic spectacle like hers. She probably thinks the whole thing is a joke.
Look at how her mom tried to write a book about parenting. That tells me she, too, has a huge ego and thinks she can give out advice to everyone on a subject she utterly failed.
It''s clear to me these folks think they''re better than everyone else and because of it they''re making fun of everyone.
That''s basically what Britney is doing with her behavior, making fun of everyone. The lack of respect she has for people and the law is astounding.
This woman should not be forgiven for this kind of behavior. Ever.

[l8c6]

Is she a bipolar narcissist?

[hypnotoad72]

Liek Doctor Phool; who took it upon himself to invade Brit''s life during a time of crisis -- ambient circumstances of the time unknown, but it''s clear all he wanted was ratings.

Expect his credibility to go down to 0, if the audience has even a grain of common sense in their collective soul.

[fstop100]

Sounds like SPOILED BRAT!

[liberate40]

From above article: Mark Smaller says: "...it can take several thorough consultations with a patient at the very least."

How true. This fact should put Dr. Phil off the air. People should consult with psychiatrists privately. Media exposure of your personal problems, whether it is Dr. Phil show or other media outlets just makes matters worse for you and your family.