What #FreeBritney Can Tell Us About Mental Health and the Law

What #FreeBritney Can Tell Us About Mental Health and the Law

Unraveling the #FreeBritney movement provides a unique lens to examine the intersection of mental health and legal systems. It's a tale of personal struggle, societal attitudes, and legal complexities that can enlighten us about these critical issues.

Key Takeaways

In June, Britney Spears spoke to a court describing why she wants to end her conservatorship. In the 23-minute long statement, she described being medicated against her will, barred from seeing her friends, forced into work without break, and denied the right to remove her birth control to have a baby, among other abuses.

A Last Resort

A last resort

Conservatorships Can Still Be Good

Since the late 1960s, it has become more difficult to commit someone against their will

What Is Involuntary Commitment?

In involuntary commitment (also known as civil commitment or involuntary hospitalization), an individual is hospitalized and receives treatment against their will.

How Can Conservatorships Be Improved?

Changes need to happen in how the laws are regulated and how officials are trained to deal with the nuances of conservatorships.

Understanding the Modern Conservatorship

Psychiatrist Paul S. Appelbaum, MD, who directs the division of psychiatry, law, and ethics at Columbia University, tells Verywell that if you want to understand the modern conservatorship, you have to go back in time-at least half a millennium.

What are the Dangers and Benefits?

When anyone is put in charge of another’s wellbeing, there’s a risk for abuse

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