So now that Britney Spears has left the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, questions are swirling around whether or not she may have bipolar disorder, a serious mental disorder characterized by mood swings between extreme depression and mania (e.g., high energy). When bipolar disorder is left untreated — whether via medications or other methods — people with this disorder can go back and forth between these two extremes (called “cycling”). If it happens a few times a week (or even a day), the person would have what’s called “rapid cycling,” but it’s more common for people to cycle between the two moods more slowly, over a few weeks’ or months’ time.

The rumor about her possible bipolar disorder diagnosis comes from friends close to both Britney Spears and her ex-husband, Keven Federline, and is being reported by some news agencies as fact. We don’t know, however, and we will try and be respectful of the fact that Ms. Spears may not want this information to be made publicly available (although it seems the cat is already out of the bag).

News media are also reporting that Dr. Phil met with Britney and her family members for an hour today to talk about, well, we don’t really know. Dr. Phil McGraw says he was there to try and help her, but I suspect that “help” also involved a plea to appear on his talk show. Some of the more cynical amongst us might suggest he is just looking to exploit this poor woman’s unfortunate situation. But what else would you expect from this guy? He’s an entertainer first and foremost, and this sort of drama makes for riveting entertainment.

Whether all of this is “good” or not, I can’t yet say. If it leads more people to learn more about bipolar disorder (and mental illness in general), I’d say it is helpful. In a celebrity-driven society (as we seem to increasingly be), it may take the famous people to help others understand the symptoms and impact of some of these disorders.

What’s to become of Britney now? After losing the custody battle, for the moment, to ex-husband Kevin Federline, she is likely suffering from some feelings of loss and grief. Add on top of that the media circus that is following her around L.A., and it’s unlikely she’s going to find much peace unless she removes herself completely from the Hollywood scene, and take a month or two off someplace remote and therapeutic.

Dr. John Grohol is the CEO and founder of Psych Central. He is an author, researcher and expert in mental health online, and has been writing about online behavior, mental health and psychology issues -- as well as the intersection of technology and human behavior -- since 1992. Dr. Grohol sits on the editorial board of the journal Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking and is a founding board member and treasurer of the Society for Participatory Medicine.

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    Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 5 Jan 2008
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