Inside The Hospital With Britney

Hattie Kauffman: Trip Was To Be Secret; Tempers Flared Once There

(CBS)  Britney Spears remained hospitalized Friday in a psychiatric ward at UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles.

She was brought there early Thursday morning at the request of her doctor and family, after weeks of bizarre and disturbing behavior.

It was the pop star's second such hospitalization in a month.

On The Early Show Friday, national correspondent Hattie Kauffman reported that police tried to keep Spears' Thursday trip hush-hush, but word leaked out, leading the swarm of paparazzi who followed the lengthy motorcade of police vehicles taking Spears to the hospital, and to the crush of media at the facility.

Kauffman also says tempers, including Spears', flared inside.

According to Kauffman, Spears is now classified gravely disabled, which means she's considered a danger to herself, or others, or is unable to provide for her own food, shelter, or clothing.

Her journey to the psychiatric ward began late Wednesday night.

"We first got tipped off about this at maybe 9:30, 10 o'clock, that something was wrong," X17online.com Director of Operations Bill Graham told Kauffman, "that the mother was going to be going over to the house."

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Photos: Standoff At Britney's

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By midnight, there was a decision.

"The psychiatrist said at this point, 'She's gotta go in. Call the LAPD,' " says Harvey Levin of TMZ.com.

At one in the morning Thursday, a police motorcade accompanied the ambulance taking Spears to the hospital. She had, says Kauffman, agreed to go.

"She sat on the floor," Levin says. "She told everyone to be quiet. She passed notes; she didn't want to talk."

Police tried to fool the paparazzi, by code-naming Spears "The Package" because, says Levin, "If they start saying, 'Britney Spears is on her way to the hospital' and somebody is listening to the police radio, (bam!), everything changes."

By 2:00 a.m., papparazi were all over Spears' father when he arrived at the hospital.

Within the hour, the "quiet Britney" is said to have exploded.

Levin says, "She accused her mother of sleeping with her boyfriend. I mean, she was in the middle of some kind of a pretty bad episode, screaming and swearing."

Earlier, Britney was seen buying a case of the caffeine drink Red Bull. Paparazzi say she hadn't slept since the weekend.

Says x17online's Graham, "She would make these late-night visits to all-night grocery stores and drug stores for odds and ends."

Around 4 a.m., says Kauffman, a dispute erupted between Spears' manager Sam Lutfi and her family over who was in charge of her medical care.

At 5 a.m., Spears mother left the hospital and told reporters her daughter was OK.

By 6 a.m., a judge had ordered Spears held on a 72-hour mental evaluation.

But, notes Kauffman, the drama isn't over.

"Athough she went willingly," Graham says, " ... she is not allowing any of the physicians or nurses there to administer medicine in any form to her."

[tay-tay17]

i mean people really should just leave brittney alone i really never did care for brittney but now this is just sad. i think that if people was talking about me every day i''ll go crazy too. all i have to say is hang in there brittney .

[keithle1]

The more drama in your life, the more paparazzi will follow your every move. Britney is a paparazzi''s dream.

If every time you leave your house you do boring, normal stuff that every mother does, how long will the paparazzi harass you?

"So this is just a photo of Britney taking her kids to the barber shop? We have 200 of these already. Nothing else to offer us, Sal? Nothing of her skinny dipping in a fountain? Jumping around on the runway at LAX helping to land planes? French kissing a nun?"

[kkma3513]

I think that Britney Spears has had enough.... Everybody just needs to leave her alone.. She is a person who makes mistakes. If i was having the same problems no one would care. Give the girl a break!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[pfd572]

Oh, please. The people you use as examples, i.e. Kurt Cobain, Judy Garland, et al, were hooked on illegal drugs or were victims of their own fame and fortunes...paying/bribing low life doctors to get Rxs for heavy duty drugs. Mental illness can be the result of chemical imbalances or outside factors effecting someone, such as trying to live a sane existence while every aspect of your life is invaded by vultures (paparazzi). Who wouldn''t break down with the constant, unrelenting attacks - physically by the paparazzi themselves or emotionally by all the negative newsprint - this is a VERY young woman with no safe place. All the self centered no-it-alls spouting the evils of psychiatry, walk a mile in the shoes of someone suffering from depression or other mental illness THEN see what you believe.

[barbaraf4]

The reason Britney doesn''t sleep is because she is strung out on caffeine. Starbucks or Red Bull it doesn''t matter what else she has in her system.

[grammawhamma]

"Athough she went willingly," Graham says, " ... she is not allowing any of the physicians or nurses there to administer medicine in any form to her."

She can''t be too far gone...last time she had the brains to kick Dr. Phil out of her room and this time she is refusing the medication. I wish her well. Hopefully someone can get the paparazzi vultures to stop circling.

[keithle1]

You didn''t realize that I was kidding, FlangeSqueal? Oh my Lawd. Come on dude/dudette. :-)

[keithle1]

Scientology has ALL the answers for EVERYTHING. Only when EVERYONE in the world is a member of the Church of Scientology will we have lasting peace & tranquility.

[keithle1]

rachelsmith3, world''s expert on psychiatry says:

"PSYCHIATRY KILLS"

Are your speaking for yourself or on behalf of the CHURCH OF SCIENTOLOGY?

All Britney needs is some vitamins, minerals & oils.
Long live the man upstairs....L. Ron Hubbard!

[drewpopo99]

I hope her Dad and Mom can help her out before her getting crazy. I support her and hope she will pull through. She has not logged in that millionaire site
Richromances.com for a long time. God bless!