Boycott Britney?
I've been taking a ride on Britney Spears' coattails, and I'm not quite sure how I feel about that. The possibility that she has bipolar disorder has generated an unprecedented amount of interest in the disease -- all of it, quite frankly, good publicity for my new book, Manic: A Memoir. On TV, in blogs and in press interviews, the same question keeps being asked of me: Do I think Britney's bipolar?
"I'm not a doctor," I reply. (I am, however, a lawyer, and the prospect of giving a straight answer on this delicate subject unnerves me.) The interviewer persists. "But based on your 30 years of personal experience with bipolar disorder, do you have an opinion?" "Her conduct looks very familiar to me," I say. The interviewer is satisfied, the deadline is met, and I find that I'm enjoying the game.
Then last week, someone sent me this e-mail:
"The Associated Press began preparing Britney Spears' obituary within the past month. 'We are not wishing it, but if Britney passed away, it's easily one of the biggest stories in a long time,' AP entertainment editor Jesse Washington said. 'I think one would agree that Britney seems to be at risk right now.'"
It stopped me cold. All at once I remembered why I had written my book: not just to chronicle my own bizarre odyssey into and out of insanity, but to give a voice to the other 5.7 million people who are silently suffering from the disease. Whatever entertainment value there may be in Britney's escapades, the fact remains that this is serious stuff. Bipolar disorder is the sixth leading cause of disability in the world. As many as one in five persons with the illness commits suicide. It's as serious as statistics can make it.
God knows I myself should have been dead a dozen times over. I certainly tried every means of escape -- pills, drowning, the noose. The fact that I survived long enough to write a book about my adventures is nothing short of a miracle to me. It makes me want to honor this life, to live it cleanly and with integrity.
So does the fact that the specter of Britney Spears' obituary looms over all her publicity mean that I should, by all rights, refuse to participate in the madness? The next time a reporter asks me whether I think Britney's bipolar, should I simply walk away? Should I put down the paper, pass by the tabloids, scroll straight through the Internet? Should I -- should we all, for that matter -- boycott Britney out of respect for a serious disease?
The truth is, Britney's done more to raise awareness of bipolar disorder than all the efforts of doctors, patients and drug companies combined. Whether or not she actually turns out to be one of us, I'm grateful for what she's accomplished. Everybody knows what bipolar is now. The fact that they're only seeing the froth doesn't matter. It's a start -- or so I tell myself, picking up People magazine. The real story can't be far behind.
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Poor Brittany, whatever problems she has, her family and the media makes it WORSE. These bottom feeders should have a restraining order against them, that they cannot get within 200 feet of Brittany. Imagine suffering from a mental disorder and having packs follow you, hoping not only for pictures of you, but your demise. Certainly, rehab or a facility that could help her would be a reprieve from this. Brittany needs help, as I do think that she is bipolar. I feel sorry for her kids, who probably miss her a lot. A horrible situation all around. Her bipolar problems were probably accelerated by having children one after the other that she wasn't at all ready for. Even her parents bottom feed from her, her being spoiled by them certainly hasn't helped her at all, she needed PARENTS, not enablers. How is that conservative christian parenting book coming along, Lynn? How is your 16 year old pregnant daughter, Lynn? These people are unfricking
Since I don't think Britney has been diagnosed with BiPolar disorder I have to wonder why she is such a poster child for it... There are people all around me in various states of meltdown and it is going on for a variety of reasons... bipolar disorder is just the fad mental illness of the moment.
And Britney is just the fad entertainer of the moment.
Who freakin cares?
I am sure that if the Police and society started billing her for the costs of her displays we would see a far more composed Britney Spears (BS?)...
Heres a news flash!! Why don't you try and HELP her? You have walked the road, you have survived and you lived to tell the tale. She might just need a glimmer of hope that her life can return to normal.
(Imagine..
If you are really real and you think you can help. Girlfriend
Two things:
1. The AP prepares many, many people's obituaries ahead of time. Remember when paper's accidentally ran Joe DiMaggio's obit? Why could they do that? Because the obits are pre-prepared.
2. It's sad that Britney's a decent bet on a celebrity dead pool, but if people spent as much time trying to help her as they do trying to make a buck off her problems, maybe she would be an outside chance, and not nearly even money.
We shouldn't boycott Britney, we should boycott the trashy "news" that's released about her all day long. Stop paying attention to her antics -- whatever the cause -- and the trasharazzi will stop covering them.
Hopefully, the next thing we see in the papers about her will be that she got help, got her life together and is healthy and well, living a quiet life with plenty of time to spend with her children.
Pardon me, Ms. Cheney, if I don't read your article.
"Boycott Britney?" is the title showing on the HuffPo front page, and that's all I need to know.
The answer is YES, YES, YES! ESPECIALLY YOU, HUFFPO. DITCH THE TABLOID TRASH. There's an old phrase, "all the news that's fit to print." Perhaps you've heard of it? There should be one American news outlet, somewhere, which actually does that. Why not you?
Does Britney Spears need help? Probably. She'll never get it if the temptation to mug for the cameras is omnipresent in her life.
Meanwhile, does America's political system need help? It sure does. But the bread-and-circuses tabloid news is a powerful distraction from those political problems which, in the end, affect far more lives than some pop star.
Britney is not much different than MDC (I won't say his name) who killed John Lennon just so he could be famous for killing John Lennon. I guess we should be thankful that she's 'only' killing herself.
But, we're complicit in both spectacles because we give so much attention to people who seek fame at ALL costs. We mention their names 100 times a day, and bring in experts to analyze their motives.
We're never going to cure their need for attention. But we can at least change the rules so they don't get attention for negative behavior.
Take a look at Paris Hilton. The media's 'boycott' has been pretty successful. I think she's even trying to do charitable work now, since her stupid brat tricks were no longer getting coverage. Whether that's a sign of actual maturity remains to be seen. But the good news is that she hasn't been arrested lately.
If anybody needs the 'Paris Treatment' right now, it's Britney. For her sake, and for her sons...
I forgot to add, my child also is BPD (bipolar or borderline personality, depending on the therapist flavor of the week).
I am a parent of a young woman the same age - and I see the same look on Ms. Spears' countenance as on my own child. So my response is one of empathy and concern. I can separate her from what the artifice the entertainment biz requires of her. This is a tough business for someone who needs a firm grounding in the realities of human life! For her sake - and ours - I hope she can find some very private space free of 'reporters' and paparazzi. Fortunately, Ms. Spears has the fortune to obtain the services and assistance she needs (though a responsible adult in her life, preferably with power of attorney, is noticeably absent at the moment).
Terry--I'm posting just so you know somebody gets it. As the mother of a bipolar adult, and the daughter of a bipolar mom, I look at these flip, self-centered and sorrowfully ignorant comments and just shake my head. We have such a long, long way to go before the average person understands what we're talking about...th
Human nature is cruel. This is the pack turning on the members they perceive as weak--the irony is, some of the best ideas humankind ever had came from these odd and suffering people.
I've loved and dated a few bipolars and I have the utmost respect for any of them who regularly take their meds and get into therapy whenever it's called for.
Having been stalked, cheated on and lied to by them when they weren't on their meds, I have to say this is a disease that strikes more than the people who have it. Reluctantly, I have had to admit that people with bipolar disorder are too complicated for me to risk loving again.
Britney's vast wealth and basic attractiveness ensure her a non-stop parade of enablers who don't want to cross her lest they lose their meal tickets or claims to fame. This apparently includes her immediate family.
Sure, I hope she hits bottom and realizes on her own accord that she needs to deal with the insanity, because she's really the only one with any power over the situation.
I'm starting to think she and Amy Winehouse need to be dropped on a deserted island armed only with a case of Lithium, some music writing tools and recording equipment.
The vultures in the celebrity media and press won't stop until Britney is buried right next to Anna Nicole Smith. It's disgraceful.
I just hope she gets the help she needs, so she can be grateful for the opportunity to watch her kids grow up.
What Britney truly shows is the broken mental health system. She obviously needs serious help for mental illness and substance abuse because like other before her and now, patients with mental illness turn to drugs illegal and leagl to self medicate. Often a patient will refuse to accept the correct diagnosis but they will accept medication for a mental illness of choice anxiety is usually what they choose to medicate rather than Bi polar. The obvious part of this broken suystem is there is no way an adult can be forced to get treatment unless they are a danger to themselves or others. With BiPolar it is hard to prove either unless they actively try to kill themselves. Cedars no doubt got her calmed down and artly medicated and she presented with none of the 5150 requirements, to be a danger to themselves or others or unable to properly care for themselves. Legally if she doesn't fit the requirements she cannot be held. She won't make the choice for treatment as she as other are the same diagnosis are sure they are not sick and do not need treatment other than for the anxiety. I also have no doubt that the anxiety is what is forcing her to change her mind and not go into the court as the outcome being what it might be to never see her kids again, she chooses to not go in to be told that outcome. Sad but those often who need treatment the most are adults without any way to force them to get treatment.
I have to agree with the sentiments of NABNYC. Really, kinda looks like ambulance chasing in a new form.
Its all conjecture as to what is going on with Britney. Just because photogs haunt her, doesn't mean she has any mental illness whatsoever.
If you want to advertise your book, buy an ad, don't piggy back on Britney just to draw attention to yourself.
Papa Spears absence from the family probably plays a bigger part in the foibles of his daughters than mental illness.
Your diagnosis of Britney is as valid as Bill Frist's of Terry Schaivo's mental alertness. Come on.
Britney had 2 children in the space of 19 months. Could it be that she is suffering from postpartum depression? It's probably overwhelming to anyone having multiple children in a short period of time. I saw where she was just trying to get to her car and the photogs were just surrounding her relentlessly. It's no wonder that she's confused and unable to cope. I hope she is getting the help she needs, that she recognizes that she needs help and that those who say they love her help her and the photogs stay away from her. Her meltdowns are not for public consumption, no matter what the media thinks or wants.
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Posted January 24, 2008 | 06:05 PM (EST)