After a week of erratic behaviour, Britney Spears has checked herself back into rehab.
Her publicist Larry Rudolph confirmed the development in a written statement. "Britney Spears has voluntarily checked herself into an undisclosed rehab facility today," he said. "We ask that the media respect her privacy as well as those (privacy concerns) of her family and friends at this time."There was much speculation last week that Spears had spent a day in a rehab clinic in Antigua. Concerns were raised for the pop starlet after she was photographed shaving her head at a Los Angeles salon, in what appeared to be an impulsive act.
Leading health journalist and medical practitioner Dr Sally Cockburn told Undercover, "the sort of behaviour we're seeing could be a cry for help, or moreover it could be that we're seeing some symptoms of some major underlying problems.
"Impulsive behaviour may be the sign of an underlying problem, it may be drug-induced, it may be a psychiatric condition - it's very difficult to say."
Celebrity gossip website TMZ.com is reporting that the rehab clinic is in the Los Angeles area, and that Spears checked herself in at the urging of her family.
Dr Cockburn added, "Rehab is a specific thing for someone who has a drug addiction problem. I think that someone who's behaving in that sort of way obviously needs to see a health professional who can assess what the actual problem is, what the best outcome is and what the best treatment is. It could be anything from just a reassurance and counselling, through to medication, through to hospitalisation. But it really depends - obviously ad hoc diagnoses can be really dangerous."
