Britney Spears Struggles With Bi-Polar Disorder
We all remember her 2007 MTV VMA Award performance, the flashing to the paparazzi on several occasions, and her much talked about custody hearings. And just like most celebrities, we easily dismissed most of her erratic behavior on drugs and alcohol because Hollywood has churned out some hard partying starlets ::cough:: Lindsay ::cough:: Kirsten Dunst ::cough::
... until this happened--Britney shaved her head and we all just thought it was super bizarre and it made for great gossip around the water cooler Monday morning. But then...
.... more crazy things started to happen! Like her run in with an umbrella and a paparrazzi SUV. At the time it was hard to understand why Britney didn't just calm down and stop being totally crazy right?!? Well.... Bi-Polar disease is hard to identify and control, especially in someone as high profile as Britney Spears. The disease is marked by manic and depressive episodes. Manic episodes are marked by the following:
- Inflated self-esteem or grandiosity
- Decreased need for sleep (e.g., one feels rested after only 3 hours of sleep)
- More talkative than usual or pressure to keep talking
- Flight of ideas or subjective experience that thoughts are racing
- Attention is easily drawn to unimportant or irrelevant items
- Increase in goal-directed activity (either socially, at work or school, or sexually) or psychomotor agitation
- Excessive involvement in pleasurable activities that have a high potential for painful consequences (e.g., engaging in unrestrained buying sprees, sexual indiscretions, or foolish business investments)
(from http://psychcentral.com/disorders/sx9.htm)
I bolded the last bullet point because it sounds an awful lot like the "crazy" 2007 version of Britney Spears we all loved to talk about. I think shaving your head and not showing up to child custody hearings kind of qualifies "high potential for painful consequences."
Manic episodes are triggered by chemical imbalances in the brain. Hormones that regulate mood, like serotonin and norepinephrine, become dysfunctional. The result of this imbalance causes the person to feel "high." It sounds pretty good until you realize that people in manic states make terrible decisions and these episodes can last for weeks on end.
Ok fine, being high for weeks on end still sounds pretty good to you, but there's a flip side to being bi-polar...depression.
Feeling the highest highs comes at a price. What goes up, must come down and depressive states usually last longer than the manic ones. Imagine feeling the following symptoms... every day for weeks on end with no end in sight...
Doesn't sounds like very much fun to me. Everyone wonders why Brit Brit couldn't get it together for the 2007 VMA "Comeback" performance. It's easy to dance half-ass, not scrutinize every inch of your body, and not show up to rehearsals when you're in the middle of a major depressive episode. Anyone who's ever been depressed or knows someone with depression knows it's difficult for the person suffering to even get out of bed, much less get in front of the world on live TV and perform.
The story thus far has taken a hopeful turn. Britney is getting help for her bi-polar disorder and recovery is a long hard road. Getting the right mix of medication is extremely difficult. Brain chemistry is so specific it must be tailored to each individual's needs. And these medications are hard core! Anti-pyschotic drugs come with huge red warning labels and the side effects are not fun. She must work closely with her psychiatrist to make sure she's getting the right dose of the right drugs with minimal side effects. Sometimes the drugs make the person so "balanced" they seem numb or zombie-like.
Although I am guilty for judging and chastising Britney in the past for her bizarre behavior, I have always been on Team Britney. I have been rooting for her to return to Pop Princess Icon status. She's stumbled along the way, but now that she's getting the help she needs, we'll have to see if she can re-emerge as the fierce and fabulous diva we know and love. We've left room for you... time to kick Paris out for good! American loves a great comeback story. Get well Britney!!
