There’s a rather large #FreeBritney frenzy going on right now. This group of people posits Britney Spears is currently being held against her will in a mental health facility (which has been called a “wellness center”). As someone who works in the area of mental illness, I can tell you this is just another form of mental illness prejudice and stigma. If Spears were in a standard hospital, no one would question her need to be there, but because this is a mental health facility, people are assuming she’s there against her will and rumors are swirling. #FreeBritney is ridiculous and even the star herself has come out and said so.
Mental Illness and Britney Spears
I’m far from a Britney Spears expert, but what I do know is that Spears has talked about suffering from social anxiety and many people feel she also has bipolar disorder.
Additionally, this is not the first time Spears has been in a mental health facility. She has even be held on a 5150 psychiatric hold (held without consent as a danger to herself or others or grave disability due to mental disorder).
Britney Spears’ Current Mental Health Facility Admission
It was reported April 4th in People that Brittney Spears checked herself into a “wellness center” due to the stress she’s been under dealing with her father’s health crisis and the long road of recovery ahead. This stress has not only cause Spears to check herself into a center but it also caused Spears to cancel her awaited Los Vegas show, Domination.
If your father almost died you might feel stressed, too, and if you add that to the unbelievable amount of stress that is getting ready for a Vegas show (I’m assuming), it’s understandable that you might need to take a step back. Moreover, if Spears is suffering from one or more mental illnesses, checking herself into a mental health facility is probably the right thing to do. She needs to take care of her mental health just like her father needs to take care of his body’s health.
But people don’t like admitting to mental health issues. There is too much prejudice against them. In fact, there is so much prejudice against mental health issues that Spears can’t even call where she is a “mental health facility” — it has to be called a “wellness center.”
Why the #FreeBritney Frenzy?
And the #FreeBritney frenzy is a real thing. People haven’t just taken to Twitter, they have even been demonstrating on the street.
Entertainment Tonight reported that people were crowded outside West Hollywood City Hall, touting signs reading, “Free Britney,” “Britney’s MGMT is TOXIC” and “Truth Will Set Her FREE.”
Because Britney Spears is dealing with her mental health, there is some notion that it must be “against her will.” One person comes up with the #FreeBritney hashtag and others readily believe it because obviously, she can’t be in a mental health facility by choice.
It doesn’t take very much to feed into the prejudices that people already hold, including the prejudice against all things mental illness. After all, these are deep-seated beliefs that might not even be conscious.
Mental Illness Choices Always Face Mental Illness Prejudice
Well, I have news for people. I have checked myself into a psych ward before and, yup, I made that choice myself. I could have walked out of the place any day too, but I stayed; this was also my choice. And with the pressure Spears is under, it seems eminently reasonable to me that she might need to make a mental health break. It’s likely the healthy thing to do.
Britney Spears Begs the #FreeBritney Crowd to Stop
Britney Spears has come out and said that she is not being held against her will. Spears said:
“I wanted to say hi, because things that are being said have just gotten out of control!!! Wow . . . There’s rumors, death threats to my family and my team, and just so many things crazy things being said . . . I promise I’m doing what’s best at this moment. You may not know this about me, but I am strong, and stand up for what I want! Your love and dedication is amazing, but what I need right now is a little bit of privacy to deal with all the hard things that life is throwing my way.”
And that should be more than enough to quell this #FreeBritney nonsense.
Not All the #FreeBritney Crowd Will Listen Thanks to Mental Illness Prejudice
But I suspect even Britney Spears asking people to stop won’t be enough. I suspect the sneaky prejudice and stigma against mental illness is stronger than even the star’s statement. People want to believe that a person like her — a famous, gorgeous, rich person — has it all together and couldn’t possibly be struck by any kind of mental illness or even mental unwellness. Prejudice and stigma are strong that way.
But as a mental illness educator, I have to remind people that mental illness can happen to anyone — including rich, beautiful, famous people. People with mental health issues need our support — including Britney Spears. We should not be tagging #FreeBritney, we should be tagging #SupportBritney and #SupportMentalHealth. That’s what might actually help her, not to mention the other thousands of everyday people dealing with mental illness who might see it.
Mental illness prejudice is strong. We need to be stronger.
Note: For those who think this is all about the conservatorship of Britney Spears, I have addressed this idea here.
Banner image by Flickr user hnkkk.
Image by Flickr user Generation Bass.
I do not understand the obsession people have with this #freebritney movement. I do not see the proof in the pudding that she has been forced into care against her will during such a trying time in her life. I think the people implying these things are blowing things out of proportion and are putting their own personal feelings into this. They speak on the situation as if they are with her at all times and know whats going on. Most of the stuff they point out is from an anon source that cannot be verified yet they take it for face value without question, but question everything else? It makes little sense.
Thanks for this article, especially the last few paragraphs about how the prejudice is strong, and we need to be stronger. Some people think mental health issues, no matter how treatable (or even dare I say, minor) automatically results to incompetence. I mean, of course the sufferer would appear incompetent if not given the right tools and the help needed, but with proper treatment and taught the proper skills, sufferers can live nearly normal lives.
Thank you as well for this blog. I always know I’m not alone with my mental health struggles, but at times I need more concrete proof such as blogs.
The media coverage (hounding), is to blame for this. So many articles are focused on how dishevelled, dazed, and stressed she is, which just adds fuel to the fire when it comes to fans & the uneducated public. Give the girl a break!
With her history, recent family distress, and physical toll of performing, of course she’s going to struggle at times. More so if her diagnosis is bipolar disorder.
As someone with bipolar disorder & anxiety, I personally think she’s done amazing at managing her mental health since her major breakdown in 2007. She’s done it whilst under immense public scrutiny, with a very demanding career, and raising children. And this latest hospitalisation shows that she’s committed to managing her mental health, and making good, safe choices for herself. It should be applauded, not hounded by false, stigmatising media reports that are purely click bait to make money.
Um i highly reccommend you seriously do your research on this situation, because you missed the whole point of the freebritney movement and you clearly have not recognized alot of the people that are involved. I get what u are saying when it comes to mental illness prejudice, i speak out on it, but this Article of yours is messy. you are completely off point to what the facts are. This campaign is about britneys conservatorship that raises concerns and borders on abuse, and MENTAL abuse, using mental illness to control sometime, putting a bad stigma on mental illness, and the violation of britneys human rights. Her conservatorship borders on all of that. That is whats wrong and unethical about it. The people that are in charge of her conservatorship including her dad and Lou Taylor, have Raised alarming concerns in regards to Britney’s mental health and her rights. Thats why a judge is calling for another court hearing in regards to britneys conservatorship. This Freebritney campaign made that happen, our voices and concerns were heard despite the many misleading and false news articles that came out including articles from tmz, if you have been paying attention, you would notice the many inconsistencies coming out of britneys camp that arent adding up and its all a smear campaign to silence this movement in raising awareness for Guardianship abuse. Thats why its taken so long for news outlets to finally start speaking on the actual reason behind this movement, which is the fight for britneys rights and the well-being of her mental state which her team has proven to not be properly treating her well. Britney was never diagnosed bipolar, but according to her team and tmz they are medicating her for it because of her personality. Ugh hello red flag, and guess what? Did you read the article about them having trouble adjusting her meds and then later another article comes out from her camp that males all of these other articles have major inconsistencies and contradictions. They deleted that article/video about her not being diagnosed bipolar. So many red flags are being raised here and its poor on your part to not get all the facts. Listen to britneysgram podcast they put out today, they run down everything that has happened and more. Also itll help you understand in regards to your concerns on mental prejudice in this situation, you will see that your article is way off base and honestly should be retracted.
Hi Jane,
Thanks for your comment. The information I have I have linked to in the article. It’s from a Washington Post article, mostly. They could have it wrong, of course, but I feel pretty comfortable in relying on them.
It sounds like you have a different view of the situation. That’s okay.
– Natasha Tracy
Jane is correct! The media has picked up on only one part of the story and focused on Britney’s stay in the mental health facility.
Advocating for Britney’s release and freedom from the 11+ year long CONSERVATORSHIP over Britney’s person and her estate is truly the focus of the movement. The Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health describes an LPS Conservatorship as follows: “According to the Welfare and Institutions Code (of California), a conservator may be appointed for a person who is gravely disabled meaning that, as a result of a mental disorder, the person is unable to provide for food, clothing or shelter.”
Many believe that Spears, having recorded/promoted 4 studio albums, performed on 4 world tours (and a Las Vegas Residency), and been a judge on The X-Factor during the 11 year duration of the conservatorship, no longer meets the criteria for an LPS Conservatorship by showing she can clearly provide for “food, clothing and shelter.”
Spears has attempted to dissolve the conservatorship several times in its 11 year span. Multiple psychiatrists have evaluated Spears and determined the LPS Conservatorship to be unnecessary. We believe that she no longer wants to or deserves to be under a conservatorship.
The #freebritney movement wants everyone to be clear that we believe mental health is a highly personal matter, and that the details of Britney’s mental health are nobody else’s business, including the individuals who appear to have made it their literal business. We are advocating for Britney to be given the privacy she deserves in her health decisions by returning the ability to make those decisions back to her. We certainly recognize the importance of mental health medication in many individuals’ lives, and believe that a large number of people with mental differences are able to functionally live with their personal autonomy intact. Conservatorships like the one that Britney is under are extremely restrictive in nature, and we think that it’s important to consider what the effect of living under such close watch might have one’s quality of life. Again, there is evidence on public record to support the fact that Britney has made previous attempts to extricate herself from being conserved. It is also clear that the individuals tasked with being her guardians have garnered substantial wealth from the thriving career and near-constant work schedule of Britney Spears. If Britney’s guardians believe that she is too mentally disabled to maintain autonomy over her own person, we are curious to know what motivated them to maintain such a consistent and demanding workload for her.
It’s interesting to look back on articles that were written many years ago right when the conservatorship was taking place:
https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/britney-spears-returns-254594/
https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/behind-the-britney-story-a-conversation-with-writer-jenny-eliscu-68829/
Additionally, I would recommend that you listen to this episode of “Without a Voice,” a podcast executive produced by Dwayne Johnson (aka the Rock) that is all about Britney and touches on some concern regarding her conservatorship: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Vu28oxDpAg
Again, I urge you to understand that this most people advocating for Britney’s freedom are VERY understanding of mental health, and rather than being prejudiced are actually fighting to draw attention to her lack of autonomy. People with mental health conditions can and do live meaningful, successful live and do not need conservatorships!