Britney and Heath needed more help, and less pain

By ANDY BEHRMAN
Featured Blogger

There's been so much in the media lately about two celebrities - Britney Spears and Heath Ledger - and about their mental health conditions.

I'm not a psychiatrist or a mental health care professional, so I'm not qualified to say whether Britney has bipolar disorder, or if Heath's death was a suicide. I was encouraged to hear that Ms. Spears was seeking treatment by qualified psychiatrists at one of the best mental health care facilities in Los Angeles. But now that she's been released, who knows what will happen to her?

Perhaps the most horrifying piece of Ms. Spears's story (not to minimize her own suffering) is how the media has turned her erratic and often risky behavior into a joke and her psychological problems into a circus event. If she is diagnosed with a bipolar disorder, she - like any one else - deserves our best wishes, because she will struggle with this invisible and insidious disease for the rest of her life.

At the least, we can be hopeful that perhaps she will eventually get the help that she so clearly needs. And today, there is so much support available to people with mood disorders and their families. If you visit "About Bipolar Disorder" on my website, www.electroboy.com, you'll find some helpful information.

With more than 6 million people suffering from bipolar disorder in this country, it's finally time to take mental illness seriously. It's not a laughing matter, regardless of how famous you may be or how much the media spins the story of this "crazy" pop culture figure.

More and more people are becoming aware of the fact that mental illness is so rampant because of cases involving celebrities - but this particular case increases the stigma of the illness as one which is defined by the media with terms like "crazy" and "lunatic." I even was shocked to read that someone couldn't believe that "someone with all of the resources of Ms. Spears couldn't just control herself." If it was only that easy.

Heath Ledger's death, according to the medical examiner, was caused by a combination of six prescription drugs - two sleep medications, two anti-anxiety drugs and two narcotic painkillers. Hopefully, we're waking up to the fact that the abuse of prescription medication is a huge problem in this country. Coincidentally, tomorrow is the first anniversary of Anna Nicole Smith's death.

The real tragedy of all of these stories is that people are still ashamed of mental illness and addiction and would prefer to sweep them under the carpet by saying that all three of these celebrities were unfortunate victims of being in the spotlight. Mental illness and addiction doesn't discriminate, and perhaps their being in the spotlight is a blessing in disguise.

Andy is a mental health writer whose autobiographical book, "Electroboy: A Memoir of Mania," has been translated into six foreign languages. His articles have been featured in The New York Times Magazine, and he was recently featured on CNN's "360" with Anderson Cooper. He currently lives mania-free in Los Angeles with his wife and daughters.

Britney Spears released from psychiatric ward of Los Angeles hospital

Britney Spears was released on Wednesday from the Los Angeles hospital where she had been undergoing a mental evaluation since last week, according to Reuters.

Spears, 26, slipped out of UCLA Medical Center escorted by a private security detail and was believed headed home before seeking additional treatment, the Los Angeles Times reported on its Web site.

Britney Spears hospitalized for "mental health reasons;" but will she get treatment?

Britney Spears is back in the hospital now that rumors of her alleged drug use are rampant, and her disheveled public appearances and chameleon-like personality have raised suspicions that the former pop star has multiple personality disorder.

The question is: Will she finally get treatment? Many don't, unfortunately, because mental health services are woefully inadequate for people who are committed for the first or second time.

In most cases, the first or second commitment is a jail commitment. The nation's largest psychiatric facility, professionals say, is the Los Angeles County Jail. Psychiatric problems aren't usually detected unless someone commits a crime, and then they're forced to undergo an evaluation.

From The Lost Angeles Times:

Los Angeles Police officers physically removed pop star Britney Spears from her home early today, placing the troubled celebrity on a "mental health evaluation hold," authorities said.

More than a dozen motorcycle officers and a Los Angeles Fire Department ambulance swept through the front gates of Spears hilltop Studio City residence shortly before 1 a.m., as a police helicopter hovered overheard. At 1:08 a.m., officers inside the home radioed to commanders that "the package is on the way out."

Spears was rushed from a side entrance of her home into an ambulance. As she was driven down Coldwater Canyon Boulevard, her vehicle was escorted by more than a dozen motorcycle officers, two cruisers and two police helicopters. Her final destination was the UCLA Medical Center, authorities said.

This is the second time in a month that Spears has been placed on a 72-hour welfare hold. The first occurred on Jan. 3, when Spears declined to give up custody of her children to ex-husband Kevin Federline.

The Summit, the winding street on which Spears lives in Studio City, was jammed with the vehicles of journalists and photographers for several hours prior to the police operation.

A crying Britney means a wealthier media

Now Britney Spears has taken her troubles to the street - literally. The pop star was photographed outside her house Monday night, sobbing and talking to the photographers as though they are her friends.

But as her troubles persist, it's clear that the media's adopted role as "shoulders-to-lean-on" is purely business-motivated - as this Associated Press story clearly points out:

An Economy Grows Around Britney Spears
By JEREMY HERRON

In the days after the Britney Spears soap opera rode a police-escorted gurney to its apex, celeb-mag sales spiked, traffic jammed gossip Web sites, tabloid TV ratings rose and paparazzi photo prices surged.

For a growing number of people and businesses, Britney's saga is about money: Every time she sinks to new lows, cash flows. And these days, no one is above the fray.

When a custody dispute devolved into a three-hour standoff at Spears' home Jan. 3, police officers and firefighters were pressed into duty. Television stations sent up helicopters, and cable news anchors reported the unfolding drama in real time. The Associated Press had two reporters working the story, with editors on both coasts updating it seven times throughout the night.

Spears is just one of many stars driving the growing multibillion dollar celebrity news industry. But the Spears story in particular, with a new twist nearly every week, has become a very profitable sub-sector unto itself.

"Britney is the most bankable celebrity out there right now, and she has been for the past year," said Francois Navarre, founder of the paparazzi agency X17.

Spears became a can't-miss tabloid topic after filing for divorce from second husband Kevin Federline in November 2006. Since then, she's been in and out of rehab, shaved her head, revealed a bit too much above the hemline, was arrested after a traffic accident, and lost custody of her kids (and later her visitation rights).

"The product for the tabloid industry is the unusual, and Britney has been delivering that consistently," said Dan Smith, dean of the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University.

At a time when advertising spending in traditional media is declining, celebrity gossip titles such as Star, Us Weekly and In Touch Weekly are growing. That helped overall newsstand sales for magazines edge 1 percent higher, to $2.39 billion, in the first half of 2007.

"The increase is almost entirely attributable to the growth of the celebrity magazine," said John Harrington, who runs industry consulting agency Harrington Associates.

Any time a magazine can boost newsstand sales past its average, the revenue is booked nearly entirely as profit, Harrington said: "People prints 2.5 million copies and sells about an average of 1.5 million. If they have an issue that sells 2 million, the extra half million goes to the bottom line."

People, which takes a broader and less sensational look at the entertainment industry, dominates the sector in circulation, but that hasn't stopped such new titles as In Touch and Life & Style Weekly from elbowing in. Another newcomer, the U.S. version of Britain's OK!, has taken particular interest in Spears, putting her picture on the cover 54 times in the 103 issues since January 2006.

"An editor's dream is to have a real life soap opera unraveling in front of you, and Britney provides that every week," said Sarah Ivens, OK!'s U.S. editor. The magazine has a 10-person team in Los Angeles devoted to Spears coverage. "We're on constant Britney alert."

She wouldn't disclose the costs to the magazine, saying only that Spears has been "amazing" for OK!'s business. Publisher Tom Morrisy said Spears drives newsstand sales and helped the magazine's ad revenue more than double to $51 million in 2007. OK! expects to turn a profit in 2008, three years after breaking into the market.

US Weekly has been just as enamored of the star, putting Spears on nearly two-thirds of its covers last year, including each of the last 14. People has had Spears on the cover 10 times in the past 15 months.

And that heightened demand for Spears pictures has been a boon to photographers.

X17's Navarre said an exclusive shot of the star would sell for about $10,000 in the U.S. and generate thousands more in residuals. "She's the most expensive right now," he said. "For Angelina, for example, you divide by two or even three to get the price."

In contrast, the average celebrity shot fetches $125 to $700, according to Scott Mc Kiernan, founder of ZUMA Press photo agency. He said residual fees on exclusives can push the value of a unique Spears shot well past $100,000.

Many of those images wind up on celebrity gossip Web sites, like TMZ and PerezHilton. The sites make money by delivering viewers to ads on their pages, typically receiving a fee for each 1,000 hits. Navarre said Spears boosts traffic to his Web site, X17online.com, more than any other star.
"During the ambulance incident, traffic doubled every hour," he said, citing internal server data.

X17, which owns the infamous picture of a bald Spears taken in February, has a team of photographers tracking her at all times. "For us, she's the star No. 1," Navarre said.

Television ratings show that a major Spears incident attracts viewers to each of the main entertainment news TV shows, too.

"All of us sustained a major ratings spike" when Spears was taken to the hospital two weeks ago, said Charles Lachman, executive producer of Inside Edition. "It happens every time with her."

It's more difficult to assess the economic gain for TV shows because they sell ads weeks in advance, with rates based on average expected ratings. If the show fails to deliver, it has to reimburse the advertiser, but there is no such compensation if ratings exceed expectations.

Suffice it to say that advertisers love the extra attention. "Anything that boosts ratings is a win-win for everyone," said Shari Anne Brill, an analyst with ad buyer Carat USA.

On the flipside, the Spears story isn't making money for everyone. There are costs involved, too. For instance, the increased scrutiny puts a burden on Los Angeles civil service units, which have to keep Spears safe and public spaces uncluttered.

The L.A. Police Department wouldn't estimate the extra costs Spears generates. Her ambulance incident last week was handled by officers already on duty. The fire department said it was considering charging Spears for the ambulance ride, but did not disclose how much.

Spears' numerous court appearances — for custody hearings, divorce proceedings and a civil case — have more measurable effects. Richard Barrantes, chief of court services division of the LA County Sheriff's Department, said when Spears and Federline were in court on Oct. 26, his office billed the court $2286.10 to cover the cost of extra security at the courthouse.

The star's behavior may be eroding her own brand, as well. Spears remains among the most-recognized celebrities, along with Johnny Depp and Will Smith, according to Marketing Evaluations, the company that developed the "Q Score." But she is not well-liked. Her negative Q Score is at 66 — only Federline has a lower one among all celebrities — meaning two-thirds of people who know who she is give her a "fair" or "poor" rating. The average for female performers is 30.

Spears, who used to pitch for Pepsi but no longer fronts for any mainstream products, gets most of her income from music sales, augmented by several perfume lines and other side projects. Elizabeth Arden, Spears' partner in the perfume business, introduced a third Spears scent, "Believe," last fall.

So far, Spears' antics don't appear to have hurt personal earnings, which, according to court papers released in November, are roughly $737,000 per month.

"A good actor or musician can get away with some pretty bizarre stuff offstage as long as they keep delivering the goods in their focal profession," Smith said.

Spears seems to have done that, winning critical acclaim for "Blackout," her first studio album in four years. The record hit No. 1 on the charts last fall, although it faded quickly. Its headline single, "Gimme More," topped out at No. 3 on the Billboard 100.

Now that she's back in focus for offstage drama, her music is an afterthought. And at some point, most industry experts agree, the public will grow tired of the Spears story.

That doesn't mean the economy that sprouted around her will wilt.

"If it's not Britney, then it'll be Lindsay or Paris or some other person we haven't heard of yet," Smith said.

Britney to undergo mental health treatment; but she's still subject to ridicule

From The Huffington Post:

Barbara Walters told her fellow panelists on "The View" that Britney Spears' friend-manager-hanger on Sam Lufti called her over the weekend to say that Britney has mental issues, that they are treatable, that she has seen a psychiatrist, and she is in touch with her mother. Then Whoopi made fun of it.

Here is the link to the video: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/01/28/britney-spears-has-treata_n_83589.html

Britney may have a mental illness, but she's only human

It's no wonder that Britney Spears' obituary has already been written. Anyone would struggle to survive with paparazzi preying on their every move, ready to pounce and pop flashbulbs that blind their eyes.

With the exception of that self-proclaimed master of mental healing - otherwise known as "Dr. Phil" - well-studied health professionals and advocates say a hostile, chaotic environment can only exacerbate a person's declining mental state.

They look at how the media - and not just the so-called illegitimate tabloid kind that fills supermarket shelves - have almost self-created Britney's demise by goading her and baiting her into behaving in a bizarre way so they can be there if - or, quite possibly, when - the end comes.

Debra Wentz, chief executive officer of the New Jersey Association of Mental Health Agencies, said common sense dictates that media pressure "can certainly stress anyone out, and so that added pressure on someone who is vulnerable can lead to more symptomatic behavior."

"I don't envy anyone in that position and believe they get more than they bargain for, as part of their fame," she said.

Britney is to blame, many say, because she alternates between chasing the paparazzi away and cursing at them and then bonding with them in an inappropriate way. Reports this week said she allegedly dumped her most recent boyfriend, British photographer Adnan Gharib, and filed a restraining order against him.

But Britney's behavior may be merely symptomatic of something larger. She may be experiencing the mania many feel when they're dealing with bipolar disorder. The media, in turn, enable that behavior by following her, stalking her and even dating her.

Then, that added pressure of media attention pushes the behavior to a level that's frightening, dangerous and self-destructive.

"Often people say, 'If you can't stand the heat, get out of the fire,' " Wentz said. "But a young, vulnerable person who has an illness may not be able to exercise such good judgment.

"I wish the media would leave her in peace."

Does Britney have a mental illness, and is her condition grave?

Now the talk is that Britney Spears has multiple personality disorder. Or that she's ready to die.

But much of that talk comes from wanna-be pop psychologists (as well as Dr. Phil, who fits that category - the only difference being that he has a degree).

Many people of this ilk are in the media, each of whom have come up with their own diagnosis for a fallen pop star who has been shadowed and harassed by a band of mosquito-like paparazzi - their media colleagues - for two years now.

TMZ and US Weekly are always ready to jump on the Britney-assault bandwagon, swooping overhead like a vulture who's ready to pounce on the dead carcass. Here is the latest news from both publicity mags/websites that appears to over-hype what is a common practice engaged by all respectable news organizations:

"Britney Spears hasn't died, but the Associated Press has an obituary already written, should something happen to the "at-risk" former pop star.

TMZ spoke to AP Entertainment Editor Jesse Washington who confirmed the news. Washington told Us Weekly, 'We would never wish any type of misfortune on anybody and hope that we would never have to use it until 50 years from now, but if something were to happen, we would have to be prepared.'

It is not uncommon for news organizations like AP to have obituaries prepared for high-profile people - the unusual thing is that they're usually prepped for the very sick or aged."

And here is the latest from People magazine, which markets itself as a respectable publication but finds itself merely repeating everything that was already published in the National Enquirer:
"Britney Spears's new habit of speaking with a British accent has some questioning her mental health.

In the past several weeks, Spears, 26, has been videotaped numerous times trading her Louisiana twang for UK inflections. On a shopping trip to Macy's in LA the other day, the singer screamed at the paparazzi, 'Get out of my [expletive] face!' - in a British accent.

Psychologist Renee Cohen isn't treating Spears, but wonders if someone should be. 'When Britney uses the British accent, or appears to take on another identity, does she know she's Britney Spears?' Cohen said."

And then we have talking heads who engage in straight-out mockery - such as what you'll see on this video (viewer discretion advised):