Britney Spears

Quote of the day:
“Don’t look forward to the day you stop suffering, because when it comes, you’ll know you’re dead.”
--Tennessee Williams

Now is the time to pay attention to Britney Spears.

She’s been emblematic of our tabloid culture for years, and has been admired by teens, dogged by paparazzi and ridiculed by the respectable press (and by me).

Whatever we think about her talents or how she has lived her life, we now are called to understand. She is sick. I don’t know what her psychiatric diagnosis is, but there now is a clear explanation for her erratic and bizarre behavior over the last year.

It’s heartening that she finally seems to be getting the care and treatment she needs. A judge has put her care in the hands of her father, and has ordered the locks changed on her home.

Evidently Spears had been under the supervision of her manager, who seems to have not had her best interests in mind, and may have exploited her.

She needs help and care, and we all need to keep our voyeuristic noses out of her life. Just like every other person suffering from mental illness, she deserves our compassion and support.

Also, maybe the public revelation of Spears’ problem will make some teens and adults more aware of the reality of mental illness. I hope so.

There are still far too many people who consider depression, psychosis and other conditions as character flaws to be dealt with by personal fortitude.