What is actually going on with Britney?

[Anonymous]

I think she developed bipolar disorder postpartum - some of the behaviors she displayed, e.g., smashing the headlights with an umbrella, shaving her head, etc. are classic mania. I remember that picture of her in the ambulance, looking wired. The timing is fairly typical onset for bipolar disorder.

I also think her father’s guardianship bordered on abusive. All that together, and the fact that she may well not be currently medicated as would be most beneficial for her, leads to those absolutely painful IG posts she makes. There was an interesting article about her father in The Atlantic or The New Yorker, maybe, which gives me enormous sympathy for her. She is so, so talented and also very sick.

[Anonymous]

OP here. I agree with most of this. I have a feeling she is and has always been intellectually disabled, but somewhat of a performing savant, which happens, so her extreme mental illness coupled with ID is a scary and devastating combo. Complete speculation. It also would paint her family in a terrible light for taking advantage of her talents while exploiting, essentially, a small child in mind and body (I think she’s far from a teen, mentally).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think she developed bipolar disorder postpartum - some of the behaviors she displayed, e.g., smashing the headlights with an umbrella, shaving her head, etc. are classic mania. I remember that picture of her in the ambulance, looking wired. The timing is fairly typical onset for bipolar disorder.

I also think her father’s guardianship bordered on abusive. All that together, and the fact that she may well not be currently medicated as would be most beneficial for her, leads to those absolutely painful IG posts she makes. There was an interesting article about her father in The Atlantic or The New Yorker, maybe, which gives me enormous sympathy for her. She is so, so talented and also very sick.

I agree with all of this. I think that she was definitely exploited by the entertainment industry and her own family. I also think she is truly mentally ill, rather than being poorly adjusted to fame or whatever. The behaviors that resulted in the conservatorship were very manic reading, and at that time, there were real safety issues in play that are slightly different now. I would be unsurprised to hear that she is diagnosed with bipolar disorder and that it is difficult to get her to comply with treatment that keeps her totally stable. I also think that had she NOT been exploited by the entertainment industry and her family, she would probably not have decompensated so badly. Certainly the magnitude of her decompensation was increased by people like Perez Hilton and the 100s of photographers that follow her around.

The whole situation is sad. Mania is sometimes really fun and other times really scary, from the inside and the outside. It's pretty typical for a person to have mixed feelings about eliminating "symptoms" when they feel good. Either way, with Britney, very few people have any credibility at this point when they claim to be looking out for her best interests. I have not gotten the impression that her fiancé is exploiting her. He seems like he's doing his best to love her and take care of her. Beyond that, she probably doesn't trust anyone, and I have a really hard time faulting her for that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I agree with most of this. I have a feeling she is and has always been intellectually disabled, but somewhat of a performing savant, which happens, so her extreme mental illness coupled with ID is a scary and devastating combo. Complete speculation. It also would paint her family in a terrible light for taking advantage of her talents while exploiting, essentially, a small child in mind and body (I think she’s far from a teen, mentally).

Just want to add that the media and many, many members of her team also exploited her for profit.

Lots of people on this thread have correlated her mental illness with her pregnancy, but I imagine public scrutiny and humiliation she endured played a bigger role. She had no support system.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Everything adds up to severe mental illness. The timing of her breakdown could indicate bi polar or schizophrenia. There is also a condition (can't recall the name) where a mentally ill person does not believe they are mentally ill, which makes treatment very difficult. I have a soft spot for her and I hope she'll be okay.

That is pretty much every mental illness. That is why treatment compliance is so difficult.

Anosognosia. It is estimated that 40% of bipolar and 50% of schizophrenics have this.

Yes - also common with Alzheimer's and other types of dementia. It's not denial - it's a lack of insight. The part of the brain that would process the information is not working as it should.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I agree with most of this. I have a feeling she is and has always been intellectually disabled, but somewhat of a performing savant, which happens, so her extreme mental illness coupled with ID is a scary and devastating combo. Complete speculation. It also would paint her family in a terrible light for taking advantage of her talents while exploiting, essentially, a small child in mind and body (I think she’s far from a teen, mentally).

+1

[Anonymous]

I thought her discussion with the judge about her status was very well said, and indicated she is able to think through and verbalize her situation well. Was she on medication then that she is not n now, very likely. What would any of us do going from not able to have our own phone, iPad, choice to drive ourselves some where when we want to to now having this freedom? Think she has decided to live her life to the fullest, in an an extreme way as a reaction to the lockdown she endured for so long. I think the recent social media posting supporting her sister is a good sign she may now be able to begin to form trusting relationships again. I expect once she gets the I am unlocked from the ‘jail’ she endured for so long, she will to eit down, when she is ready, and not before then.

[Anonymous]

As a mentally ill person myself, I can tell you that it takes time and some trial and error to stabilize. I cannot imagine going through that in the age of social media as a *celebrity*. I am sure that going through it with an audience who doesn't care at all about you is going to make the process harder. I really feel for her.

[Anonymous]

I work in the music industry and I shudder to think of what she did - even at a young age - to get where she is (or was). There is so much sexual abuse. (see: Kesha).

This is likely the root of her problems.

[Anonymous]

I remember before her first breakdown, she didn't come across as particularly smart, but she absolutely did not seem "intellectually disabled," as some posters have said. In fact she seemed charming and relatively mature and articulate [for a teenage pop star from rural Louisiana].

For example, here's an interview from 2000, when she would have been around 18 or 19.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZnYKuJ51R0

Nowadays I agree she seems to have lost brainpower.

[Anonymous]

Perez Hilton, really? Leave Britney alone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I remember before her first breakdown, she didn't come across as particularly smart, but she absolutely did not seem "intellectually disabled," as some posters have said. In fact she seemed charming and relatively mature and articulate [for a teenage pop star from rural Louisiana].

For example, here's an interview from 2000, when she would have been around 18 or 19.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZnYKuJ51R0

Nowadays I agree she seems to have lost brainpower.

Gosh, she so sweet and fresh in that video from 2000. I don't know what happened, maybe drugs and mental illness, but it's a shame. She was so likeable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I remember before her first breakdown, she didn't come across as particularly smart, but she absolutely did not seem "intellectually disabled," as some posters have said. In fact she seemed charming and relatively mature and articulate [for a teenage pop star from rural Louisiana].

For example, here's an interview from 2000, when she would have been around 18 or 19.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZnYKuJ51R0

Nowadays I agree she seems to have lost brainpower.

Yes, definitely not “intellectually disabled”. Not even close.

[Anonymous]

^^I enjoyed that interview. She was adorable!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I agree with most of this. I have a feeling she is and has always been intellectually disabled, but somewhat of a performing savant, which happens, so her extreme mental illness coupled with ID is a scary and devastating combo. Complete speculation. It also would paint her family in a terrible light for taking advantage of her talents while exploiting, essentially, a small child in mind and body (I think she’s far from a teen, mentally).

I’m the PP directly above you and I disagree completely that she’s always been “intellectually disabled.” You do know how low functioning you have to be to earn that diagnosis, right?

Family exploitation, yes. Bipolar disorder, almost certainly. ID, no. She’d present very differently.