Britney Spears' life is at risk

The distraught parents of Britney Spears said their troubled daughter's life was at risk after she was released from a psychiatric ward against their wishes and her doctor's advice.

The dramatic words came after a turbulent five weeks in which the 26-year-old singer was twice hospitalized, lost visitation rights to her two sons, and ultimately saw her father granted temporary control of her legal and financial affairs.

"As parents of an adult child in the throes of a mental health crisis, we were extremely disappointed this morning to learn that over the recommendation of her treating psychiatrist, Britney was released from the hospital that could best care for her and keep her safe," Jamie and Lynne Spears said in a statement late Wednesday.

"We are deeply concerned about her safety and vulnerability and we believe her life is presently at risk. We ask only that the court's orders be enforced so that a tragedy may be averted."

The millionaire pop icon, who shot to superstardom in her teens, made a low-key departure from the UCLA Medical Center Wednesday accompanied by private security guards, before returning to her Beverly Hills home, US media reported.

Later Wednesday, however, local television networks carried live footage of Spears and unidentified companions leaving her home in her black Mercedes, trailed by a convoy of paparazzi.

Spears had been the subject of a mental health evaluation order after being whisked from her home by paramedics and police on January 31 on the recommendation of her psychiatrist.

Her release came after a routine hearing in which a court representative interviewed patient and doctor to see if there was cause for continued detention, People Magazine reported.

In Spears' case the court representative found no just cause, the magazine said, and she was released against the wishes of the doctor overseeing her case at UCLA Medical Center -- and her parents.

Spears' latest hospital drama triggered a court-room battle for control of the singer, with her father being temporarily placed in charge of his daughter's business and financial dealings.

Spears' parents have also accused the singer's manager and companion Sam Lutfi of drugging their daughter and trying to control every aspect of her life, according to court documents unsealed on Tuesday.

"Mr. Lutfi drugged Britney," Lynne Spears stated in the documents. "He has cut Britney's home phone line and removed her cell phone chargers. He claims to control everything."

Lutfi, 33, has been hit by a restraining order that prevents him coming within 250 yards (metres) of Spears, her parents and the homes of the singer and her family.

It was the second mental health scare this year for Spears, after she was rushed to hospital in early January by paramedics following a child custody stand-off with the her ex-husband Kevin Federline. She was stripped of visitation rights to her two young sons shortly after.

Spears, one of the most successful pop stars of her generation, has been locked in a custody feud with Federline concerning the couple's two baby sons since the couple split in 2006.

A judge limited Spears' access to her children last October after she failed to submit to random drug testing as demanded at an earlier hearing where the court ruled she was a "habitual and continuous drug user."

She has been rarely out of the tabloid headlines since the split with Federline.

She was repeatedly photographed out partying while wearing no underwear, bizarrely shaved her head at a public salon, and attacked a paparazzi's car with an umbrella before finally entering rehab.

Spears shot to superstardom in late 1998 with her smash-hit debut album "Baby One More Time," which she followed with another chart-topping success the following year, "Oops! ... I Did It Again."

Forbes last week said Spears remained one of the top 20 richest female singers in the world, ranking 14th after earning eight million dollars in 2006 and 2007.

Via afp