Probably many of you had heard about Britney Spears’ situation in terms of her legal issues in court and her mental health. I want to reclaim that I have a degree in Forensic Psychology, a mix of how the law should process mental health cases. There is a lot of information to analyze, and there are a lot of changes to make.
The audio-video of her full conservatorship hearing is available in YouTube. Still, she said she did not want to go back to court because the singer did not feel that the judge listened to what she had to express. That shows the incapacity of the system to understand and incorporate mental health situations into court. The singer stated that when she said she needed a break, her manager and father told her therapist that she was not taking her medications, and they worried about her mental health. Subsequently, this therapist changed her prescription to Lithium, a potent drug used for extreme mental ill disorders. But how was she extremely mentally sick but could work and attend meetings a few times per week?
After a court case fell in favor of the conservatory, she stated that she felt like a slave. When they took all her possessions, she could not see her friend, and she was desperate for her privacy. She could not even shower or change clothes without the presence of someone else; she did not have any beauty treatment like a spa for a year. Against her will, she has to be on birth control not to have any more children; the Pop Start does not drink alcohol and cries every day. Do you think that living in this situation is an efficient treatment to treat someone with a mental illness? Not, an environment like this would result in a worse situation.
I do not want to put my future colleagues in a red line. But, doctors who prescribe medications like Lithium to patients should consider the patient’s well-being and the side effects of the medicine. Being a good doctor is not just about identifying the proper illness or prescribing the right medication. Being a mental health doctor goes beyond prescribing medicine. We have to reset our minds and realize why we are choosing to be mental health doctors. We are choosing this because we want to help people incorporate what society classifies as everyday life. Mental health doctors need to practice from an unbiased perspective in all cases; no matter who you are or the amount of money you have, we must be treated all the same. We are not here to put someone on medication and imprison them in their houses; that goes against human rights and against the mental health field itself; money should not be the first motive to practice. I can not be more disappointed in how doctors and the court handle this and many other cases. There are always two sides to the story, but based on evidence, this case is one of those mishandling cases where power overcomes knowledge.
We have to understand that even though Spears wants to get her conservatorship abolished, she still has severe mental health problems. I can not diagnose her because I do not have access to her medical records and because I still need a license for it, but I can argue that she suffered from depression; she probably has low self-esteem and other symptoms.
But the point here is that the system needs to change. And I always say if you want to change the system, you have to become part of the system, but I see that once you become part of the system, the system brainwashed you, and you forget why you are doing things in the first palace. Or some people are just into mental health fields because of the income. The two scenarios are the worst of the situation. But there are people like me who are doing this because we feel a need to help others. Because this is our passion, and we can connect with people and reconnect them with society. Being able to talk about mental health is a privilege.
Mental health advocates and all mental health facilities in general; should reorient our perception of the field. We are here for the people and to help people. The gratitude of knowing that we save lives and reincorporated people into society should be an essential gratification. I want to encourage everybody to get informed about mental health. There are a lot of good doctors out there; we have to look very carefully. We are here; we can help you in ways that you can not imagine; allow us to change the system to adjust to help real people like you and myself.
With Love,
Our Garden
