Now I'm wondering if these were early signs of bipolarity, before the condition took such a hold of her. It's probably no good looking for causes among the many adverse things that have happened to her. The breakup with Justin is said by many to have left a permanent scar on her, and her behavior seemed to degenerate gradually into craziness after that. Yet, following her wedding to Kevin, she seemed calm, approachable, articulate and blissfully happy.

The divorce from Kevin must have had its reasons. I can't believe Britney, having witnessed her parents' divorce, would have ended her marriage lightly. So she must have experienced some more bad times there. The stress and trauma of divorce can break a lot of people and it could do severe damage to someone who's already mentally fragile.

Then there was the question of Post Partum Depression. Almost every media outlet, in consort with Rent-an-Expert, diagnosed this for Britney, and later claimed that SHE thought that was the problem too. Maybe it was. And it's a very serious condition. But all these sources of stress aren't the causes of bipolarity, even though they could make her mental state a lot worse in her depressive phases. Bipolarity is a problem arising from chemical imbalances in the brain and it has to be treated with medication. It can take a while for the precise prescription and dosages to be established.

Now! Cast your mind back to Britney's Dad's comments around the time of rehab. He said that she was a sick little girl and that what was wrong with her wasn't what everyone thought. He didn't go into detail, but I think he may have been more insightful than we realised. I think he understood the problem when nobody else did. I think some of the things that have been reported over the past couple of years can now be seen as Jamie's frustration at the way his elder daughter's life was heading and the fact that NOBODY seemed to be recognising her problems and NOBODY seemed to be in control, including Britney.

And that's one reason why I'm glad he's taking charge at the moment. Jamie has been involved in some of the biggest decisions in Britney's life. It was Jamie, not Lynne, who wrote the letters recommending her to agents, etc. when she was a child. I think he has the courage and sense of responsibilty to take control now.

I'm a bit confused about what's going on between Lynne and Britney. I don't think she can have been unaware of her daughter's mental health problems, but I think she was anxious not to get even further on to Britney's bad side and bring about an animosity so bad that it could never be mended. She has always said she loves Britney, without reservation or qualification. But she probably felt that trying to intervene again in her life (when she saw what happened after the rehab stint) would just make Britney madder and more alienated than ever. I think she wanted Britney to come back to HER, rather than make an approach that could be rebuffed, or risk sticking her nose in. But lately she must have seen that there was no alternative.

I'm very reluctant to criticize Lynne. I think she's a genuinely nice woman and a very loving mom and just about everybody who knows the Spears family personally, or worked with them before Britney became a star, has said that she was supportive of what Britney wanted and was never pushy. She wasn't a Showbiz Monster Mom. And I think that has become clear in recent months, even while so many fans have been taking her to task for not intervening.

Sam Lutfi may have been Britney's pal and confidant, and I do actually believe that he had the best of intentions towards her, but I think he ended up acting as an enabler. He got too close to Britney, too close to see that there was something wrong inside the little bubble that he and she inhabited. He listened too much to what Britney said and what she asked for - and we all know how charming and irresistible she can be. So I don't blame Sam. But I think it's for the best that Jamie Spears is in charge now. Goodness knows how Britney feels about it.

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