What is going on with Britney Spears?

People are concerned for pop singer Britney Spears’ mental health after she posted a strange video to her instagram last night. In the video, Britney shows off a dress and then warns fans not to call the cops if she deletes her Instagram before running in front of the camera. Naturally, the video garnered attention and prompted some concerns over the erratic behavior Britney displays throughout. 

Many are wondering exactly what is going on with the singer and whether she needs help, some users on TikTok claimed that it looked like a manic episode (typical of those with bipolar). Whilst armchair psychiatrists and conspiracy theorists have already made some wild and mostly unfounded claims; we’d probably need more than a few videos to really be able to know if something was wrong with Britney. Whilst her behavior is concerning, and it fits past behavior we’ve seen from Britney, we don’t have all the facts.

Concerns first began for Spears back in 2007 after the singer had a series of psychiatric breakdowns brought about by the pressures of fame. She famously cut all of her hair off and attacked the paparazzi with an umbrella. The breakdown was very public but had clearly been going on unseen for many years before.

As a result of Spears’ state of mental health, a judge ruled that she be placed under a temporary conservatorship in 2008. Her father, Jamie Spears, was chosen to be her conservator, essentially this meant that he had full control over her life. He was able to make business decisions regarding Britney’s career, he had control over her finances, he even had control over her love life.

When the time came to evaluate the temporary conservatorship, it was determined by a judge that it should be made permanent. During the time that followed, Britney continued to perform and make music, although her performances often seemed lethargic and lacking energy according to many. Britney also lost custody of her children — whom she shares with her ex-husband Kevin Federline — around the time the conservatorship began. Her father’s control was upheld until November 2021 when Jamie finally terminated the conservatorship. According to his lawyer, it was due to Britney’s desire to be free of it.

Since then, the singer has been free to do as she pleases, Britney has performed new songs with the likes of Elton John and already gotten engaged to her fiancé, Sam Asghari. However, she continues to post strange and sometimes worrying content to her social media that give cause for concern. 

Britney has had to deal with some difficult situations in the past, and whilst it’s easy to think her life would be easy after her conservatorship, her posts tell another story. Whether or not the armchair psychiatrists are right, being free after 13 years in a conservatorship would be overwhelming for anybody and we hope she is getting the help she needs.