Thursday, January 31, 2008

EXCLUSIVE: Hospital Treating Britney Spears Specializes In Bipolar Disorder

The following italicized article is from www.usmagazine.com:

Britney Spears' inner circle, including her estranged mother Lynne, chose to admit her to the UCLA Medical Center because of its experience with treating bipolar disorder, a source tells Usmagazine.com.

"Her lawyers and doctors have been working with UCLA," the source tells Us. "They were ready and had everything in place."

The facility, the source says, is better prepared to treat the troubled singer than L.A.'s Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where she was hospitalized for less than 48 hours earlier this month.

"When she went to Cedars they weren't ready for her," the source says.

"They have a much stricter unit at UCLA and treat bipolar cases regularly," the source adds. "This is a serious unit she's on."

(It was reported that singer Mariah Carey was treated at the same facility in 2001 following her highly publicized emotional breakdown.)

Before the intervention, Us reported that Spears hadn't slept since Saturday — a sign of suffering from bipolar disorder, says one expert.

"You can go all night without sleeping," psychiatrist Pauline Wallin tells Us.

Another sign: Spears has extreme highs (known as manic episodes) followed by intense lows (this past Monday, she sobbed on a curbside after a fight with pal Sam Lutfi).

"Her pattern of behavior indicates that she doesn’t have a lot of self-control when she gets upset," Wallin says. (Read what other experts had to say about her state here.)

For now, Spears is at UCLA under a "mental health evaluation hold" – commonly known as a "5150" – meaning she can be held there for up to 72 hours if a medical professional deems her a danger to herself or others.

After the 72-hour treatment, her family can seek a 14-day extended evaluation or patients can decide to seek further treatment, according to ABC News, citing the California Department of Mental Health.

"Because it was planned there's a much higher likelihood they'll be able to extend her stay beyond the 5150," the source tells Us.

Source: US Weekly

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