Britney Spears and Mental Health

There is a long timeline regarding celebrity mental health, and in 2007, Britney Spears was photographed shaving her head and tabloids featured images of the Pop Princess’ mental health meltdown. Over a decade later, the star has regained her shine and even completed a Vegas residency. Yet, in early 2019, she checked herself into a mental health facility. From Britney’s experiences, we can examine how her mental health struggles have recently changed compared to the early 2000s.

How Perceptions of Mental Health Have Changed

When Britney Spears shaved her head in February 2007, her motive seemed for others to simply leave her alone. As the podcast “What Really Happened” explained in their review on Spears, the star had grown up with immense pressures to maintain a specific image. Many of the people in her close circle at the time did not have her best interests at heart which led her to denial, confusion, and trust issues. At the time, celebrities did not have multiple social media platforms to tell their side of any personal story, and thus, the eager paparazzi could run rampant with heartless reports about a woman in peril, shaping public opinion to form against her.

In 2019, the story altered in perspective. Spears is not the only famous person with mental illness, but for so long, she struggled, and the public’s perception and response differed immensely compared to others. Her posts on social media featured an image that read, “Fall in love with taking care of yourself mind, body, spirit.” The image was flooded with tens of thousands of comments, the bulk of these comments containing supportive words for the star. Though social media offers a considerable amount of flack, it has helped reduce the stigmatization of mental health disorders. Rather than being ashamed, people realize that it is not uncommon for people to be diagnosed with a mental health disorder. Social media provides a way to bring awareness so others may seek help for conditions such as a mental health or thought disorder.

Britney Spears and Mental Health

The Pop Princess has experienced challenges with her mental health in the past, and her 2007 challenges led to her father and lawyer gaining conservatorship over the star in 2008. Conservators have the authority to manage affairs for those who cannot take care of themselves. Britney Spears’ father had been her conservator alongside her lawyer since her infamous struggles, and they were managing all her business and social affairs. This included detailed record-keeping of every financial decision the star made for court documentation of the details of the conservatorship and even frivolous purchases like when Spears wants to buy a cup of coffee.

So why did this conservatorship last so long? As “What Really Happened” explained, revoking a conservatorship is nearly impossible. It was reported that the star’s lawyer sought to end his conservatorship control in early March of that year, leaving her father with sole conservatorship. Yet, with the recent decline of her father’s health, Spears has checked into a facility for mental health treatment.

There are many theories around celebrity mental health disorders and what the famous singer struggles with or if she still has the same disorders as in those previous years. There are many mood and anxiety disorders that can cause extreme behavioral changes and even personality changes. Still, properly diagnosing her mental health needs is impossible without a proper in-person evaluation.