For the second time in a month, Britney Spears has been hospitalized for her mental health concerns. And not exactly in a quiet or private way.

The Los Angeles Times reported this morning that Britney Spears’ was taken to the UCLA Medical Center under a “mental health evaluation hold,” a period of 72 hours when the hospital will once again evaluate Ms. Spears’ mental health and whether she is being compliant with her treatment regimen.

This is the second time Ms. Spears has been hospitalized this month under a mental health evaluation hold (called a “5150″ in California parlance). The first occurred on Jan. 3 when she refused to return her two sons to former husband Kevin Federline. She was committed to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center at that time and released within 36 hours.

She was transported by ambulance from her Studio City home around 1:00 AM, with hounding paparazzi safely and determinedly kept at bay, as more than a dozen motorcycle officers, two cruisers and two police helicopters escorted the singer, the L.A. Times reports.

People magazine reports on its website that the singer’s mother, Lynne, as well as friends Alli Sims and Sam Lutfi were inside Britney’s mansion when police arrived.

According to the L.A. Times, authorities said the 1:00 AM intervention was staged at the request of Ms. Spears’ psychiatrist.

Police or a mental health professional can request an emergency hold if a person is deemed to be a danger to himself/herself or others.

“She was driving around her neighborhood like a mad-woman,” says a Spears’ family source. “Britney has been prescribed medication which she refuses to take. This is just another sad, sad evening.”

Earlier this week, Barbara Walters noted that Lutfi had contacted her regarding Ms. Spears’ condition. He reportedly claimed that Ms. Spears has “mental issues which are treatable” and revealed that she had consulted a psychiatrist and that she would start “some kind of treatment.”

“There is no question she is bipolar… She’s had manic episodes for years,” an anonymous source told People.

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 31 Jan 2008
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