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What does lithium do? Britney Spears reveals she was forced to take 'maintenance drugs' under conservatorship

Britney Spears has disclosed all the pivotal moments of her challenging journey in her memoir 'The Woman In Me'

THOUSAND OAKS, CALIFORNIA: It's a significant development that Britney Spears is now openly discussing her 13-year conservatorship in her recent memoir, 'The Woman in Me'. She has even shared details about her experience, including the revelation that she took lithium—a mood-stabilizing medication mostly used to treat specific mental illnesses—under the constraints of her conservatorship.

Britney Spears' memoir, released on October 24, has brought to light shocking details about her father's role in compelling her to enter a psychiatric treatment center.

Lithium made Birtney 'slow and lethargic' 

Britney Spears has disclosed that the pivotal moment in her challenging journey occurred in 2018 when her father, Jamie Spears, facilitated her admission to psychiatric treatment center for an extensive three-month period.

During this time, she experienced a significant alteration in her treatment plan as the psychiatrist made the decision to discontinue her regular medication and introduced lithium.

"He put me on that and I felt drunk. I couldn’t even have a conversation with my mom or dad really about anything"

“It makes you extremely slow and lethargic….I grew disoriented. On Lithium, I didn’t know where I was or even who I was sometimes."

"My brain wasn’t working the way it used to. It wasn’t lost on me that Lithium was the drug my grandma Jean, who later committed suicide, had been put on." 

The consequences of this change led to severe side effects, highlighting the profound impact that such decisions had on Britney Spears' well-being within the context of her conservatorship.

What mental illness is lithium used to treat?

As per Health Direct, lithium is indeed a mood-stabilizing medication with a broad spectrum of applications in treating various mental health conditions such as mania, hypomania, and bipolar disorder, where individuals may experience extreme mood fluctuations between elevated states (mania) and low states (depression). 

In her memoir, Britney recollects, "they were only visiting to finish off what they'd started a few months earlier, to kill me for real". 

The #FreeBritney campaign, which gained prominence in 2021, played a pivotal role in bringing Britney Spears' highly-regulated life under conservatorship to the forefront of public awareness.

This movement not only offered support but also empowered Spears to find the courage to speak out and, ultimately, strive to reclaim her freedom.

Further in her memoir, Spears shares significant revelations that delve into the complexities of life under conservatorship and the enduring consequences of legally losing her freedom.