Pop Star Lunacy

In light of a recent well-known pop stars continual public melt down, the question of her mental health is becoming the talk of entertainment news shows and tabloid papers. Unless you've been living at the center of the Earth, you know we're talking about Britney Spears. No one could possibly screw up this much in public and not have some type of mental issues at play.

Allegedly, Britney calls paparazzi to clue them in on her whereabouts, she constantly shows up at local gas stations, drinks endless amounts of Frappuccinos from Starbucks, and misses court cases for custody of her children, yet recently stages a 3-hour holdup in her home with her youngest child. And don’t forget the bizarre British accent she spouts at parades of paparazzi occasionally. This is all strange behavior pop star or not.

The purpose of this post is not to add another celebrity report on Ms. Britney, but to highlight what some think is possibly postpartum depression causing her bizarre behavior. Horrific and very public incidents over the past few years of postpartum depression at its untreated extremes have had outcomes with mother of four boys, Andrea Yates drowning her sons in the bathtub.

More recently, celebrity Brooke Shields went public with her battle with postnatal depression and how she had thoughts of committing terrible acts to herself and child, but had the mindset to know that she needed help, which she eventually sought.

With all this being said, I have a different take. From reports that I've heard through the news and read in papers, I believe Britney is possibly suffering from bipolar disorder. The excessive spending-estimated in the tens of thousands per month, the blatant dismissal of custody cases, and the bizarre relationship with one of the paparazzi, and her continual bating of other paparazzi, all speaks to a person who is impulsive and destructive.

According to WebMD symptoms of Bipolar disorder can include:

• Act impulsively or do reckless things, such as go on shopping sprees, drive recklessly, get into foolish business ventures, or have frequent, indiscriminate, or unsafe sex.
• Have a very high opinion of himself or herself (inflated self-esteem).
• Feel extremely happy or very irritable.

WebMD list several other symptoms that are indicative of bipolar disorder, many of which seem to fit Britney's recent behavior. It could be true that postpartum syndrome escalated what might have been mild at one time bipolarism.

My hope is that eventually this once lofty pop star will get the right people around her to find the road to recovery. I hope this continuing story doesn't have a tragic ending.

Photo Source: WorldofBritney.com