Britney Spears Rushed To Hospital, Put In Mental Hold

First Posted: 03/28/08 03:45 AM ET Updated: 05/25/11 01:25 PM ET

Britney

Update:
Britney spent her first day in a mental hold with her parents, and requested a meal from In-N-Out Burger. Meanwhile, her new therapist has been praised by former colleagues.

Previously:
Britney Spears was taken from her home by ambulance early Thursday and escorted to a hospital by more than a dozen police officers.

Britney's mother is 'devastated': "She hadn't seen her in a while and to see her deteriorated to this level." Meanwhile TMZ reports chaos when she checked in to UCLA, as she was on Adderall and laxatives.
__

A Los Angeles police officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak on the matter, said the 26-year-old pop star was being taken to "get help" but did not give the ambulance's destination. The Los Angeles Times, citing unidentified authorities, said Spears was taken to UCLA Medical Center to be placed on a "mental evaluation hold." Center spokesman Mark Wheeler declined to comment to The Associated Press, citing privacy laws.

Spears' police escort included motorcycles, two cruisers, and two helicopters.

On Jan. 3, police were called to her home when she refused to return her two young sons, Sean Preston, 2, and Jayden James, 1, to ex-husband Kevin Federline, who has custody.

Unlike that time, TMZ reports Britney was calm and went willingly:

TMZ has learned the plan to get Britney into UCLA Medical Center had been hatched for days -- it was aborted last night, but executed just minutes ago. And we're told the plan was so intricate the FAA had cleared airspace in route to the hospital.

Back at her house, Britney's psychiatrist told her she was going to the hospital. Her response was, "Is something wrong?" She was not resistant. She made hot chocolate and waited before paramedics arrived and placed her on a gurney.

We're told the psychiatrist felt her condition had deteriorated. Britney had not slept since Saturday -- a day and half longer than she stayed up in recent memory.

The reason she's at UCLA is her new treating psychiatrist practices out of that medical center.

Last time, officers had paramedics haul Spears to a hospital for undisclosed reasons. She was released after a day and a half in Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

Police also went to the home Monday night after someone reported a swarm of paparazzi trespassing in the singer's gated community. When officers arrived, they didn't see anyone trespassing, police said, but citations were issued for several illegally parked cars.

Spears has been in a highly public downward spiral since filing for divorce from Federline in November 2006.

Her bizarre antics include shaving her head bald, attacking a car with an umbrella and bringing along a paparazzo pal on trips to a courthouse in her child custody case.

FOLLOW HUFFPOST ENTERTAINMENT

Update: Britney spent her first day in a mental hold with her parents, and requested a meal from In-N-Out Burger. Meanwhile, her new therapist has been praised by former colleagues. Previously: Britn...
Update: Britney spent her first day in a mental hold with her parents, and requested a meal from In-N-Out Burger. Meanwhile, her new therapist has been praised by former colleagues. Previously: Britn...
Filed by Katherine Thomson  | 
 
 
  • Comments
  • 198
  • Pending Comments
  • 0
  • View FAQ
Comments are closed for this entry
View All
Favorites
Recency  | 
Popularity
Page: 1 2 3 4 5  Next ›  Last »  (5 total)
photo
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
ibivi
art deco style
01:34 PM on 02/01/2008
Why were there so many police escorting Ms Spears to the hospital? Do the police have nothing better to do? Is this an appropriate use of police service funds?
Do all mentally ill people in Los Angeles get this service when they are about to be committed? Really, this is over the top.
11:04 AM on 02/01/2008
UCLA Medical Center is an excellent hospital for her condition. I prayers are with her and the rest of the 5250's. It is my hope the country will some day offer far better mental health services
08:48 AM on 02/01/2008
She has problems like all normal person and what she makes different is to be a public figure. This has affected it enormously -to see herselves in means- and to listen all the bad things that say of her. howtowinchildcustody. com
photo
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
urbanscorpio88
08:06 AM on 02/01/2008
Why is it that many people in the public eye (eg. Celebrities) suffer from bi-polar disorder? Everyone suffers from it in Hollywood. In my opinion, they are all just attention seeking whores and if the media did not publicise every inane thing that they do they would suffer it.
07:36 AM on 02/01/2008
don't you people understand!

she shaved her head
so the rug matched the drapes!
(whoops)

it's called: the Baker Act.
it's a psyche-thing about doing harm to yourself (see: suicide), or others
(see: her music).

new name: britney baker.

p.s. the lower she falls, the better my shot at her.

p.p.s. britney, let me be your dr. phil.
photo
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
jubo
Celestianish
05:40 AM on 02/01/2008
No surprise what with every paparazzo being interned as well.
02:35 AM on 02/01/2008
It has been pretty clear to me for quite some time what her problem is and when it happened.

She is 26 and schizophrenic. It's not rocket science. Shaving her head, taking mood altering substances, afraid of the police and courts. Paranoid. That is why Dr. Phil is an idiot.

Leave her a lone. She will still be able to sing, perform and do well. Her dancing will come back, it will just take her longer to get ready and she will do it better if she not bugged about it.
photo
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Steamboater
Forget hope. Agitate.
12:09 AM on 02/01/2008
Helicopters? What is this costing taxpayers? The least they could do is have her pay for the helicopter escorts. Spears can certainly afford to do so. Anyone else would be luck enough to get a bicycle escort.
11:25 PM on 01/31/2008
Why are so many people fascinated with the antics of this poor soul? That in itself is fascinating...

Mind control?
11:18 PM on 01/31/2008
Give her a hair follicle test and see what she's been doing.
09:18 PM on 01/31/2008
has she been released yet?
photo
HUFFPOST COMMUNITY MODERATOR
MalloMel
09:13 PM on 01/31/2008
What I see is that Britney is a woman who has mental problems. It's not that uncommon, but she just happens to be high profile. Anything else about this is just make believe.

She hasn't done anything to any of you. What is wrong with you, that you can't leave this woman alone. She's obviously ill. What the hell is it with the feeding frenzy?

I guess you won't be satisfied until she is no longer with us. I have news for you. Even if she does die from her illness, non of your situations will change because of it. You'll just move onto something else. If you were truly happy, you wouldn't be feeding off of this woman's misfortune.
08:13 PM on 01/31/2008
YAY!!!!!!!
photo
Norge
Rolf K. Artist, worker of metal, writer of poems
06:03 PM on 01/31/2008
Perhaps now she can begin her journey back from her depths of grief, lonelyness and dispair.
05:59 PM on 01/31/2008
Obviously Spears is a real money maker when she is sick. From now on I will avoid any websites, newspapers or TV "news" shows that have any of this.
What must the taxpayers in her town think of the cost of this parade of motorcycle cops and other civil servant hangers-on?
Enough!