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July 9, 2008 5:04:15 AM CDT

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Therapists Want End to Britney Diagnoses

Posted Jan 24, 08 8:20 PM CST in Arts & Living,  Gossip,  US    Most Covered

(Newser) – The media loves to publish experts' diagnoses of Britney Spears, but assessing a patient's mental condition from gossip columns is irresponsible—and it's giving therapists a bad rep, concluded some professionals at an American Psychoanalytic Association summit. "Brains don't have a checkbox," one analyst told the AP, but some media outlets say such opinions are essential to coverage.

She's been called bipolar since her recent antics began, but the diagnostic frenzy really took off after TV's "Dr. Phil" McGraw declared her in need of psychological treatment. Yet it takes intensive, one-on-one sessions to diagnose a mental disorder correctly—particularly when substance abuse is involved. Still, one editor says labels take the heat off Brit by explaining her "nutty behavior."

Source Associated Press

Editor Recommended
Dr. Phil McGraw arrives at the Museum of Television and Radio's annual gala in Beverly Hills, Calif., in this Oct. 30, 2006, file photo. McGraw has pulled the plug on plans for a one-hour show that was...   (Associated Press)
In this Sept. 1, 2007 file photo, Britney Spears arrives for the opening party of a nightclub in Las Vegas. The pop star went to a deposition Monday, Jan. 21, 2008, in her dispute with ex-husband Kevin...   (Associated Press)
In this image released by OK! Magazine, Britney Spears is shown with her sons Sean Preston, 2, left, and one-year-old Jayden James on the cover of the Jan. 21, 2008 issue of OK! Magazine currently on...   (Associated Press)
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Britney Spears  • media  • paparazzi  • psychology  • mental illness  • psychiatry  • bipolar disorder  • therapist


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Related Threads: Celebs Misbehaving, Berserk Britney, Britney Breaks Down

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