Once a year when Britney Spears' conservatorship comes up for review there are a flurry of stories about how she wants to be in control of her life again and have the conservatorship terminated. I'm sure she would love to be in charge and the stories always say she will get her way and she never does. Right now her conservators are in charge of her personal life and her estate which in this case means her career. Britney says she will let them manage her career but she wants to make her own decisions when it comes to her. The thing is they are entwined. If she goes on a pink wig wearing, drug taking, have sex with random paps kind of spree again, what does do to her career? Exactly. Doctors of Britney says she is not ready and that she has a medical condition that necessitates her having a conservatorship. She will stay in one. There is too much money at stake and too many people making a living off her for it to go away.
Poor Brit Brit. I truly feel for her
ReplyDeleteI wonder what her condition is.
ReplyDeleteWow, she'll become the poster girl for repeal of conservancy laws. These things are supposed to be--constitutionally required to be--extremely rare. Only if you've irretrievably lost your marbles should you be declared non compos mentos and lose control of your life.
ReplyDeleteHer conservators should realize that they can be criminally prosecuted and go to jail for prolonging this.
Agree.
DeleteWe don't really live in a free America any more though. I am of the mind people should be able to do what that want weather that be spend all their money on frivolous crap, go on drug benders or just want to have their life-support plug pulled.
They are prolonging the inevitable. Eventually she will have her money and can do what she wishes.
My guess is that it is allowed because 1) the Doctors are recommending it and 2) her losing her marbles affects a TON of people financially. Think of how many people she employs. 3) her ability to in any way take care of her kids is reliant on her keeping it mildly together
DeleteI think she's bi-polar.
ReplyDeleteI agree with B. Although I know nothing about the laws in CA, I do know that in this day and age, an extended conservatorship like Brit's has got to be extremely rare. It seems extremely interesting, from a legal standpoint.
ReplyDeleteI used to despise Britney, in her early career, when she was all teen nudity & lip-synching.
ReplyDeleteI SO root for her now though, after her head-shaving, Lufti-drugged breakdown. Poor poor thing. Mental illness is the worst, and just because meds work today don't mean they will forever. Her condition seems to make her particularly self-destructive.
It's sad, but she will probably have to always have some kind of a guardian. Just in case.
@B. Profane, I don't think she is a well girl, and I think it will be a long time before she is -- if she ever is.
ReplyDeleteEven for someone who is bipolar, she comes off as very medicated.
Unfortunately, she makes money for a lot of people, so it doesn't seem like there's a great deal of incentive to let her retreat and get proper treatment.
If she's bipolar- which seems to be the consensus- that's a lifelong condition. Are they going to try to keeep her under conservatorship forever? Several million Americans live with bipolar disorder, most of whom are not under these draconian restrictions.
ReplyDeleteSo sad about the Empire State building shooting.
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ReplyDeleteI guess I disagree w/ B. & Frufra--I think whatever she's got, probably MULTIPLE illnesses AND a Personality Disorder, are the reason it will be perhaps forever. I think it's really bad, and that she walks the high-wire every day, despite meds & the best care.
ReplyDeleteI hope she keeps her shit together and doesn't go off the deep end again. After reading the reveal about Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan, I have to wonder if Paris had a hand in Britanny's breakdown. They were really close when Brit started losing it.
ReplyDeleteLady Lagerfeld--Personality Disorders are not treatable with drugs....See my above comment. They are associated with suicidal ideation. And I think suicide is what they're ultimately protecting her from.
ReplyDeleteHow many vampires "make a living off her" should have no bearing on such a case. That a conservatorship was ever established over her (either her career or her personal life or both) was outrageous in the first place, and quite possibly even unconstitutional in the second. Even if, as Enty has alleged here, Britney suffers from bipolar disorder, and even if, as he further alleges, when left to her own devices, she "forgets" or chooses not to take prescribed medications for that illness, that is still no excuse.
ReplyDeleteThere are tens of thousands of seriously mentally ill people who've been left completely to their own devices for decades in this country now, many of them with illnesses far more serious than bipolar disorder, and many even with a high propensity for violence (which Britney has never demonstrated). If these people cannot, as the theory goes, any longer be subjected to being institutionalized, even when in many cases such an abridgment of their legal rights would clearly benefit the safety of society of general and/or of the persons involved themselves, it is outrageous that the same theory has been callously and blatantly set aside and disregarded in Britney's case, simply because she happens to be a high-profile person, because she has made a lot of money, and because numerous blood-suckers batten on her earnings and estate.
If I were Britney, I'd get the ACLU involved and make a constitutional case out of it, if that's what it takes.
Def. possible, @Libby. They are really walking a strange line, though. She can't make her own decisions but she can be on live television every week? Blindgossip has a blind that implies Simon is trying to get her to ditch her team, largely for the potential drama.
ReplyDeleteI'm of two minds on this one. One the one hand, whatever the medical issue is, there are plenty of people in the world with the same condition who do not have conservatorships. But those people also aren't worth millions. I wonder if Britney weren't famous and worth millions, whether her family would be insisting on this or not. On the other hand though, I think that this will protect her, both through keeping her as well as possible and by protecting her fortune (which will also take care of her boys).
ReplyDeleteOh Britney, keep the conservatorship forever. Some people need a little help. I, for instance, am virtually incapable of handling my finances alone, and I have a friend who sits down with me every month or so to mark dates on a calendar. It's embarrassing because I want to pretend I'm so smart, but I seriously lose track of bills and income and all kinds of things. Factor in things like a histrionic personality and a substance abuse pathology (for me, or for Britney) and you've got problems. Keep the conservatorship.
ReplyDeleteI think she has issues that will continue throughout her life and the only way to maintain her, and her money, is to have control. I'm not saying I like it, but I don't want to hear about her wandering the streets at 40, off her meds and broke. Maybe she can get a bigger vote on matters of her life, but she does need people looking out for her. I hope they are good people.
ReplyDeleteIf she has Bi-polar, and her conservatorship is based off her need to be watched while taking her meds, i'm honestly all for it. A close friend of mine has bipolar, and as soon as he goes off his meds, he spirals so out of control. He got arrested for publicly attempting suicide (he was at a gun range, literally about to shoot himself) the last time he was off his meds. If someone was there for him every morning to tell him to take his meds, nothing like that would ever happen and it would litterally save his life. Conservatorship for the mentally ill could be so beneficial to some people who are unstable.
ReplyDeleteObviously not everyone with a mental illness requires that kind of care.
She supposedly has a severe personality disorder which, even though medicated, is not fully under control at all times. Some personality disorders are so bad that the person needs to be under some sort of supervision their whole life. I assume, competing interests aside, that medical evidence backs her continuing to be under a conservatorship.
ReplyDeleteShe looks happier lately. Medication or not, that can only be a good thing.
I'm for the conservatorship. If not for that, Sam Lufti would be a very rich man right now.
ReplyDeleteAlso, at least thus far, in court, she has expressed her desire to remain in a conservatorship. I believe that her lawyers were involved in requesting that her fiance become part of the personal conservatorship (as opposed to the financial conservatorship) last year. Perhaps she is self aware enough to know she still needs help and supervision.
ReplyDeleteYES, Lola--most personality disorders involve extremely suicidal behavior at worst, self-destructive other ways (shopping, drugs) at best.
ReplyDeleteAnd Robert, it's perfectly Constitutional to have a conservatorship. Think about all the Alzheimer's patients (like my grandmother) whose brains are turning to mush, but are fighting tooth and nail to stay home? My grandmother was feeding her husband food that was killing him (diabetic), AND she nearly burned the house down over & over. When you are a danger to yourself or others, it's absolutely appropriate for others to step in.
Britney is really really dumb (not her fault) and has mental problems. Unfortunately the conservatorship is probably in her best interest.
ReplyDeletei think because she is worth millions its a smart idea to keep her under conservatorship. She needs it and I think if her family didn't do it and she started acting crazy again, we'd all be talking about them like how are they LETTING her do this, why did they get rid of the conservatorship., she has two little kids. She needs help and no one cares. She needs to stay that way, maybe forever. I hope her new BF/Fiance has her best interest in mind and isn't in it for the paycheck.
ReplyDeleteAs a parent I would do everything in my power to protect my child. Whether she is 4 or 40.
ReplyDeleteThis is the exact face of mental illness, we all know she looks healthy and happy and if you know anyone with mental illness this is also when their brain kicks in and starts telling them look how great you are doing, stop taking your medication, you do not need it.
I know 3 people who have killed themselves because of mental illness and it would have been 4 if it wasn't for the family coming together going to court and fighting a nearly year long battle to get a conservatorship over their 24 year old schizophrenic son, who was so out of control was certainly a danger to himself if not others.
If have a conservatorship was what was required to keep my child alive and healthy I would do everything in my power to get it and keep it and I would fight tooth and nail to make sure I kept my child alive and well.
That is the sad part about mental illness it tricks you into thinking you are curd when in reality you will be dealing with this until the day you die. And if that means needing someone to guide you through life, to keep you health, safe and care for you so be it.
I can only hope I would have someone as strong as my friend and Brittany's father to step in and do the right thing.
The only difference is those with enough money can handle it themselves and keep the person home or at a very nice residential assisted living facility where they will get the care they need and monitored, the rest just do the best they can.
Well put! I completely agree
DeleteStupid phone, sorry for all the typos and spelling errors.
ReplyDelete*Applause for Kendra*
ReplyDeleteYou said it SO well. Thank you for sharing. Suicide IS the issue, and I am so sorry to hear how many you have experienced.
But thanks so much for taking the time to explain it!
I'm going to agree with Libby on this one. She exhibited a complete mental break. I have limited experience with severe mental illness in others and only depression (dysthymic disorder, actually, which i still battle) and anxiety disorder(which was remedied via cognitive behavorial therapy) in myself so I can only speak of what I know. She seems to REALLY need some help. I know that there is the "They're just doing it to get their hands on her money" faction, but I sincerely believe that she needs the assistance she is getting. There is nothing in her life that excludes her from the possibility of a severe mental illness. They happen. And I'm sure it's not easy for her family to see their perfect, beautiful little girl having to struggle for a shred of sanity and, possibly, to even enjoy her existence in the slightest.
ReplyDeleteI feel for her and if the conservatorship is being maintained, g to believe it's for a very real reason that is frankly not our business until she decides to come forward and discuss it. I truly hope she will because the stigma of mental illness needs to be removed.
I obviously started that post a while ago. Stupid work.
ReplyDeleteGee thanks, discoflux. I think the particular stigma they leave out of any public reports is suicidal tendencies. Which is a shame because admitting it would help others not feel so bad about their own. We don't talk enough about mental illness, what it actually means for people.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI think when Britney was going through the worst of it, she was given electro shock therapy. I have a friend that had to have it (they use it as a seriously last resort now) and he has to live with his parents now and has that same not-quite-there personality that Brit seems to have. He will never really be able to take care of himself now. It's like he's not completely whole. But he stopped trying to kill himself so I guess it's a trade off?
ReplyDeletecam, I dont feel badly for her. If not for loved ones taking care of her business, she would be like lohan, the klepto crash car driver. She is lucky!!
ReplyDeleteMy bipolar ex had shock treatment 13 times and he is currently remarried and holds a great job for about 5 years now. I still don't think he'll ever be right, but it can happen.
ReplyDeleteShe's way more than bi-polar, def full-on schizophrenia or multiple personality or possibly even dissociative identity disorder. Bipolars aren't nearly as medicated as she seems to be, plus some of her behavior during her "meltdown" went well beyond even severe bi-polar (the British Britney, etc.).
ReplyDeleteBut if she's truly schizo, the conservatorship will never go away and really never should, but if that's the case keeping her working is ethically questionable at best - though I guess it coukd be argued the money benefits her kids (and her) - plus do we know how bad her finances got pre-conservatorship? I know there was some wild spending & big real estate losses at least.
Personally, can't decide if Trawick is a user or a saint who really loves her & is really looking out for her though, have heard both.
Libby, just to be clear, I totally agree with everything you've said. I'm just agreeing with B. that a conservatorship is damn hard to put in place and maintain - I know from personal experience (my MIL) that you can't just waltz in an obtain that kind of power over someone's healthcare against their will. Even if (in our case) a conservatorship is medically warranted and desperately needed.
ReplyDeleteBroadly speaking, adults have the the right to be just as crazy as they want to be, unless they hurt themselves or someone else. Then it becomes an issue for the criminal justice system. Even when family members have been running around forever yelling "help us, she's crazy and out of control" to anyone within earshot.
Having access to unlimited funds, though, helps grease the wheels, I'm sure. I don't mean bribes, just that you could afford unlimited legal representation, when the rest of us are at the courthouse filling out paperwork with a dull pencil we found at the bottom of our purse.
If she were a man, this would not be happening. She needs to find a way to put some money in an account of her own. Get some freedom, leave with the kids. When has she known freedom? She's been working since childhood.
ReplyDeleteThe conservatorship saved her life. She may feel like a prisoner, but it is the only reason she is still alive and has any money.
ReplyDeleteActually, severely mentally ill people can & are declared incompetent & put under the care if guardians all the time, if someone is truly, severely mentally ill, there's nothing stopping family members from having them declared unfit to manage their own lives...that's exactly the point of the conservatorship in this case. It's perfectly legal, the mentally ill have no Constitutional right to run their own lives if a court deems them unable to do so.
ReplyDeleteMy friend has a schizophrenic uncle that she's been the legal guardian of since her grandmother died. He has his own apartment & everything, but she has to sign off on all his care decisions & takes care of his finances, etc.
ReplyDeleteIs she free to quit show business and become a waitress or whatever?
ReplyDeleteI wish I had a conservator it would make my life a hell of a lot easier. Bi-polar is very difficult to live with. I think BSpears suffers from it and has been medicated and probably received electric shock treatment. She seems on the upswing but I doubt she will ever be able to handle her fame, fortune, other peoples expectations without someone overseeing her mental issues.
ReplyDeleteAll of you saying that conservatorships are such a good thing should look at the many, many instances of involuntarily-appointed guardians mistreating or embezzling from their charges. And that's with the quite restrictive (in theory) current laws governing conservatorships.
ReplyDeleteThe fact is, there's almost no penalties for making false allegations regarding the mental stability of someone during civil proceedings, and that's lead to massive abuse of the system.
Also, Britney is not schizophrenic. That's ludicrous.
The way TMZ worded it in their post, I'm thinking maybe she has something more along the lines of Schizophrenia.
ReplyDeleteB.Profane you have a point. Of course there are several instances of involuntary mistreatment, but in this case, it seems Spears is doing better than recent years, is working, making money, caring for her kiddos, so in her instance, I thin--MY OPNION lol-- the guardianship works.
ReplyDeleteI actually don't think it's ludicrous at all that she might be schizophrenic. If she were merely bipolar, it would be much harder to justify such a prolonged conservatorship. Schizophrenia or something similar would be much more in line with the level of mental illness that usual causes someone to be declared incompetent, and with medication she would be functional, but only to a point because of the side effects - hence why she needs to be "handled" so closely in public/at work.
ReplyDeleteMaybe the continuation of the conservatorship is more like a safety net invade things slip.
ReplyDeleteIt's hard having a mental/medical condition. Especially one where all you can do is treat the symptoms and try prevention. Not to mention its a long road to get a correct diagnosis. I started having schizophrenic tendencies with bouts of manic depression, headaches, and rage issues. I was told it was postpartum, bipolar, you name it. Finally, a dr did an MRI and found that I had 3 arachnoid cysts. It causes all of the above symptoms and more. This was 6 or so years ago and have tried every med under the sun. So I know it's hard, especially with her being in the public eye and constantly scrutinized. Somedays you just want it all to end. Conservatorship for her is in her best interest.
Poor Britney. I can't pretend to know what the best answer is for her. Sometimes I wish I had a conservatorship to look after me. I'm Bipolar II and sometimes I don't feel like I can handle life. At. All. And I have a phenomenal support system in my family. I understand why so many people don't make it.
ReplyDeleteAnother very likely reason for the continued conservatorship - regardless of what her actual psychological condition is - would be to allow her to retain "custody" of her sons. With ant form of mental illness, it would be highly unlikely she would be able to have primary or even joint custody of her sons. So, if having her sons around is important to her mental well being, it is in her best interest to have them around her - and if she's an otherwise unfit mother, the only way that would be possible would be that, when they're with her, they're supervised or possibly even legally under the guardianship of her father and/or Trawick.
ReplyDeleteI mean, wasn't the peak of her "meltdown" related to custody of her kids and occurred when it was time for them to go live with Federline? I wouldn't be surprised if her being able to have her kids has a lot to do with the continuation of the conservatorship...
I'm fairly certain her condition is idiocy.
ReplyDeleteBy definition you can't be diagnosed as schizophrenic if you have mood disorder symptoms. I was around a lot of schizo's during a certain period of my mom's clinical practice. There's a definite symptomology that presents in the affect. Britney shows no signs of that.
ReplyDeleteAssuming that a conservatorship proves/legitimates an authentic mental illness is exactly how the system gets abused.
"So, if having her sons around is important to her mental well being, it is in her best interest to have them around her..."
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't work like that, legally. You have to be rather seriously and permanently nuts for supervised visitation to be permanently mandated. Even after a seriously bipolar period, if a parent gets stabilized on meds most family law judges will, after awhile, restore a normal custody plan. In California the courts are very strong on giving parents a second chance if they're taking their meds and managing their mental health correctly.
That's why I'm giving this whole thing the stinkeye, because a reasonably sane celebrity with money should have been able to get the conservancy dismissed and supervised visitation rescinded by now.
Was Forrest Gump allowed to run his Bubba Gump empire? Maybe Britney needs a Lieutenant Dan to help guide her through the complicated parts (which in her case would be all the parts of managing a career & personal finances).
ReplyDeleteI'm bi-polar, she is def. pink wig, random sex with dudes/paps era... all that crazy shit she did happens to us. we go up for a few weeks and then crash. doing drugs on top of it makes it worse and u do a lot of them. i think she had post partom (sp?) too. so that combination fucked her life up. she is def a zombie.
ReplyDeleteSomeday, when I'm at graduate school for a doctorate in psychology, I want to write my thesis on her and her many, many psych problems :/
ReplyDeleteMaybe she likes having the conservative ship. She doesn't have to deal with the piles and piles of minutia that must be a part of her every day. It sucks that she can't pick and choose what she would like to take care of, but this probably gives her the freedom to just be Britney Spears- celeb and Brit Spears the mom without the daily headache of running such a huge empire. Let's face it, she ain't a brain surgeon.
ReplyDelete"Land of the free" doesn't mean you can do whatever you want, especially since she has two young children.
ReplyDeleteShe was an immediate threat to herself and others. The courts are closely monitoring her case, and the conservatorship is under regular review. It seems like she has a life-long illness, and I'm glad someone stepped in and is helping her. If she wasn't happy she could get away for 2 minutes and give an interview to anyone with a cell phone.
Some people aren't able to care for themselves. She has the resources to ensure that others can do it for her.
Hey Youurfaceisamess, I'm bi-polar too, and I recognize Brits earlier Lithium Zombie, no affect demeanor after she was hospitalized and released. She was certainly medicated to the gills at one point. She still comes across as 'preforming' when just trying to have normal conversations. Just the few random non rehearsed moments caught on film show that.
ReplyDeleteThank you Libby and Wrinklebottom for your insightful posts. I never knew this so it makes her conservatorship much more "humane", is the best way I can put it.
ReplyDeleteAnd to Bobby and Rangeman..Hang in there. I hope there are people you love and trust that are there to help you.
"That's why I'm giving this whole thing the stinkeye, because a reasonably sane celebrity with money should have been able to get the conservancy dismissed and supervised visitation rescinded by now..."
ReplyDeleteI think the important phrase here is "reasonably sane". Regardless of what her specific form of mental illness is, since the conservatorship appears to have been approved long term on the basis of some diagnosis, presumably with substantial verification from doctors, it's obvious the court does not consider her "reasonably sane". She either doesn't want it dismissed, or isn't able to because of her condition. Given how she looks & acts, I'm still going with the latter...
I wonder how she made it in the early years. Poor Brit Brit. If I were her, I'm not sure I could every trust anyone around me. She's the cash cow for everyone around her.
ReplyDeleteIt is scarily easy for someone to be diagnosed in Australia. My SIL's took my MIL to one doctor and had her declared as having dementia. They took her to her lawyer the next day and had her sign over complete power of attorney. My husband was not consulted. They had an assessor come and assess her for a nursing home, again my husband wasn't even spoken to. She has been in a nursing home for close to two years. It is an awful, soulless place. It is too easy for people with agendas to take control. I think the biggest issue my MIL had was over medication.
ReplyDeleteI am glad for those of you who have loving care to help you. Thank you for sharing your very personal histories.
what i'm wondering is if her conditions (what ever it/they are) were something she was born with, caused by drugs/treatment, caused by the expectations of the world for her her, or something else.
ReplyDeletehow/why did britney get to the point where the legal protection became necessary?
Britney is schizophrenic. As a former fiduciary of a schizophrenic ( my husband, he passed last year), he was in the same boat. He wanted the freedom to make his own personal, medical and financial decisions. He could not. He was paid alot of money but I made all the decisions for him. I made sure he was set, made sure he stayed stable by taking him to his doctors and made sure he took his mess. My husband was the one who pointed out to me that Britney was schizophrenic after she shaved her head. He has done many of the things she has but without the spotlight.
ReplyDeleteOh lord, she shaved her head to avoid a drug test, not because she's schizo.
ReplyDeleteSome of you people scare me.
@Mhdz - there's always that possibility as well.
ReplyDeleteI think whatever she has is stronger than bi-polar disorder.
ReplyDeleteSeriously?
ReplyDelete1) Britney is still under a conservatorship because if she wasn't she would be legally required to testify in that whole Lufti debacle.
2) She will have had people looking after her shit her whole life: managers, accountants etc etc.
3) I doubt she wants for anything, she just has to ask for it. Considering she probably has people pick up her stuff for her, I'm betting she was asking anyways.
I'm not saying she didn't have a breakdown - I think that was obvious to the WHOLE WORLD. I also think she had some intense treatment and some powerful meds after. I'm sure she's still on meds, although they won't be the brain fryers she was on before... But this whole 'it's unfair' thing doesn't sit that well with me.
She goes into court and asks that it continue. You can't force a person to do that. And she seems pretty happy with her situation right now.
What I want to know is WHY she won't testify against Lufti. What does he know? What happened? It's pretty obvious that he was a contributing factor in the breakdown... WHAT WENT DOWN?
B...
ReplyDeleteschizoaffective disorder is on the schizophrenic spectrum and, by definition, includes either bipolar or depressive only components. When criterion A schizophrenic symptoms present with a mood component, it is considered to be a schizophrenic disorder.
There is also bipolar with psychotic features which is a primary diagnosis of bipolar with accompanying psychosis (symptoms found in schizophrenia-- but not considered to be the primary symptoms)
Either of these usually have a big side helping of anxiety disorder to help them along.
So, yes, schizophrenic symptoms can exist with a mood disorder or mood disorder can exist with schizophrenia.
That said, I don't know what she has other than she consistently shows a flat affect which could be a symptom of either of these or of the drugs she is being treated with.
For the record, I'm not saying conservatorships, on the whole, are a fabulous thing. Nonetheless, there are certainly situations where they are warranted and, arguably, necessary.
ReplyDeleteThis very well may be one of those cases (and publicly available evidence would argue that it is).
Just read "between you and me", and while it is a fictionalized account of Britney's life from KFed through her breakdown, if there is in even a grain of truth in it, I feel very sorry for her, and B is right on target.
ReplyDelete@Marie Interesting article:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.probatelawyerblog.com/2012/03/oops-britney-spears-conservator-did-it-again.html#more
Lots of players in that mess.