It is impossible in this sick culture of ours to be completely unaware of Britney Spears. That said, I feel totally sorry for her!

We are the same age (can't think of evil Prom without her stupid "Hit me..." song) and it is sad to watch someone go through the same insanity I did before actually being diagnosed with bipolar. It is even sadder that someone with her means has such a hard time getting the right help.

Anyway, just wanted to see if anyone else thought she was the posterchild for bipolar disorder.

I dont know about the poster child for bipolar, but she is in a bad state. Some days I feel sorry for her (as best I can) and others I dont. She makes MILLIONS AND MILLIONS of dollars and people are taking advantage of her. Where are the people saying "please get help". I saw a thing once about how much money other people make off of her, record labels, news magazines, papparatzzi, etc. It is sad that if she is bipolar, it sucks that she has to go thru all of it under the constant eyes of the public and the photogs who harass her 24 hours a day. Making a living on someones pain is sick. I hope for the sake of her self and her children that she works out whatever she has going on.

I do feel sorry for her, it was bad enough going crazy with a few strangers seeing it but the whole world seeing it would be just awful. Everyplace she goes people will know what happened and might think she's a nutt.

Having the Papparatzzi following me around would be so frustrating even if when perfectly normal, when Im out of it it would bug me so much more.

At first I figured it was publicity but she was placed on 72 hour involuntary hold in a psych ward and sedated twice already this year and she has been staying up for days straight, exhibiting psychotic behavior etc. She's definitely manic IMHO.

I just got over a good two week period of no sleep and had a peak of a week out of that being floridly psychotic (believing I had government agents following me and telling me to do things or else I would die and saying I was getting accused of all of this stuff I didn't do, I thought my apartment was rigged with cameras and that my professors were trying to kill me) it is not actually even over yet, I was away for a 72/hr hold myself for a few and I am still quite manic so who knows how it will go.

It is even sadder that someone with her means has such a hard time getting the right help.Actually, it's quite likely her means enabled her to go this long without getting help. I hope she can find the right help. It breaks my heart to see those gorgeous babies without a mom.

I guess what I dont understand is.... can these symptoms just.... after 25 years or 24 years or whatever, present themselves over night? Did no one notice that she was exhibiting strange behaviors before all of this? I guess maybe I dont understand the illness well enough. Enlighten me someone.

I actually brought the Britney thing up in the private forums...

According to news reports last night... they said that manager or whatever he claims to be was mashing up cocaine and putting it in her food and drinks....that would explain the odd behavior.

It's kind of hard not to notice reports about some stars when even the conservative news programs are running stories. I don't see people as a disorder or a disease. When I see a child star who has been a meal ticket for those around her crash and burn as an adult, I wonder what I would have done in the same situation. But then, I do have ADHD and we're known for being empathetic.

I can't imagine having my beautiful babies taken away from me and if I couldn't get my **** together to get them back and keep them, the only reason for that would be that I was in serious trouble and needed help.

All I can think about is DANG, I would have HATED to have my manic "antics" published for all the world to have seen. I never would have lived any of it down -- it's all too embarrassing to even go into, but then again, I'm sure you all understand.

*Sigh*, poor baby, I pray for her to be alright because, regardless of how we're all brainwashed to think money should make people happy, it obviously doesn't. I hope she's okay -- what a terrible tragedy for her babies.

EXACTLY! My ex GF keeps up with all of this and used to tell her, "Leave those poor people (obviously not in the finacial sense) alone!" I hate the media these days - they are ruining our society.

Not to mention the fact that her negative publicity gets this country or its people nowhere - AT ALL.

They should leave her alone. She is having issues.

I'm about to go off, so I'll leave it at that.

I agree with you. I feel so bad for her and to have it plastered all over the world...only has to make it worse. I have a hard time handling those who do know what I'm like....let alone the whole world and complete strangers.


It is impossible in this sick culture of ours to be completely unaware of Britney Spears. That said, I feel totally sorry for her!

We are the same age (can't think of evil Prom without her stupid "Hit me..." song) and it is sad to watch someone go through the same insanity I did before actually being diagnosed with bipolar. It is even sadder that someone with her means has such a hard time getting the right help.

Anyway, just wanted to see if anyone else thought she was the posterchild for bipolar disorder.

Bipolar must suck. I have the "normal" ADHD/Borderline chronic speedy mood shifts... only been hypomanic (Im hesitant to call it full blown mania but who knows) 3 or 4 times, and I enjoyed the 2nd one only, the 1st one ended up in my worst panic attack ever and the last two I was concerned with my own safety...man it's crazy, I thought I was going to jump in front of a car or **** off a gangster or something... you feel your control of yourself slippin and you care and don't care at the same time...well me anyway.

SYMPTOMS CAN AND WILL PRESENT THEMSELVES OVERNIGHT. at 25.

It happened to me. Its like a levee broke. I think hormones and pregnancy influence this greatly. One can be relatively functional until some traumatic event can bring looming demons out of the woodwork.

I only hope that this can bring mental illness (ESPECIALLY IN YOUNG ADULTS, THE MOST UNINSURED AND UNGUIDED POPULATION OF US ALL) into the spot light.

Heck yeah, Nonsequitor, that's what happened to me, too, at 26. I always had moodiness, but it was the break-up of a 4 year relationship and a lotta other crap and BANG, I was full-on crazy . . . like, angels talking to me behind people's voices, running from the mafia and the masons (why I believed they had any interest in me, makes me laugh now, but it was hecka scary at the time when I really believed it), thinking people had shot me up with acid because I knew something was wrong -- and tons of other stuff too awful to go into -- it was Alice in Wonderland all the way.

I did have the good sense not to shave off my hair, but if I thought it would've disguised me from the mafia/masons -- I'd have done it in a heartbeat.

Thank God I had a good job (God only knows how I kept it) and great insurance at the time, or I would have received inferior care, and who knows what would have heppened then.

Ahh, Manic episodes... speaking of manic episodes at 4 a.m. (didn't party because of class this week) I found an article that closely relates to this thread, it mentioned Britney Spears.

http://www.addforums.com/forums/showthread.php?goto=newpost&t=49277

Ehmm most bipolar people get the serious symptoms 20-something old.

And I don't think its something that happened over night, her life has become more negative step by step the past years. If I would have to guess I would say it kicked in around the time she and JT broke up, he claims she cheated on him and I think its possible she did in one of her first manias. Also she had two children in short period of time, her mental state obviously became much worse after which is typical for bipolar women. I'm sorry Americans but I just don't get your system. Can all unstable mentally ill people just do whatever they want or is it celebrities getting special treatment? I think in most European countries she would have been forced into a clinic for weeks or months. I mean we are talking about someone that took her child hostage while having a breakdown, its just ridiculous that she was driving around 48 hours later.

I've been a Britney fan since 1999 and I really feel for her, in the first years she seemed to be the sweetest and most down to earth celebrity out there. I believe she still has a big heart, she has just lost her way and needs to figure things out. Remember it can take people years to get their disorder under control, having millions doesn't mean she can get a quick fix. And btw I can thank Britney for my bipolar-II diagnose. After struggling for a decade with depression I was about to give up, as a Britney fan I heard about her possible bipolar disorder which made me curious and google about it. I then realized that majority of symptoms applied to me, so I went to my doctor and got my diagnose. I probably would have gone without the diagnose for years or maybe never getting it, maybe ruining or ending my life. So I thank Britney and it shows us how something negative can also have some positive effects. And it has also done positive things for Britney's life, I think she probably wouldn't have become the biggest singer (so far) this century without the positive sides of her bipolar brain. Also if she manages to beat this and get back on track it will just help her career in the long run, she could get the legend status and its a great chapter to put in shows like "Behind the music".

In many ways she's just the Marilyn Monroe of our time.

Shadow Syndromes by John Ratey discusses how the genetic tendency toward bipolar is usually triggered by something -- in Britney's case if it is indeed bipolar (which it surely looks like) there were two pregnancy back to back and splitting from her husband (not to mentioned being hounded by paparazzi and taking drugs). A lot of very intelligence, creative, talanted people seem to have that vulnerability.

Geiri,

Once upon a time it was a lot easier to force people into medical care for mental illness, and a lot of people were permanently housed in institutions without any hope of release. A number of reforms in the 1970s "corrected" that. Today, no one can be held unless they are a danger to themselves or others. The standard is that they have to be an "imminent risk." So my sister-in-law, who was hearing voices, believed people were after her, frost-bit her feet living outside for a while, etc. still didn't meet the criteria after my hubby and I gave her a bath, gave her clean clothes, and fed and housed her. Learned my lesson the hard way on that one.

On the one hand, I love (really) the fact that our system of government and laws is so protective of individual rights, but it also pains me to see clearly mentally ill people living on the streets, particularly where I live, because people can and do freeze to death in the winter. It's a mixed up, jumbled up system, where no pro comes without a corresponding con, or vice versa.

Sandy

P.S. Iceland ROCKS, btw! What a literate, hauntingly beautiful, and fascinating country. I felt humbled by so many aspects of it, from the 15 y.o. girl serving coffee in a book store who immediately recognized that I was American and addressed me in English, to the firefighters who I saw in a video ("The Volcano Show") about a volcanic eruption on an island with a fishing village... They faced down lava flows with fire hoses pumping seawater, and managed to save the cove. Incredible. I wanted to grab and kiss every one of them. What heroism!!!!

Compassion is never a bad thing.