By Michelle Nichols
NEW YORK (Reuters) -
Author Danielle Steel, who experienced
the pain of seeing her mentally ill son commit suicide, is
urging the parents of pop star Britney Spears to keep fighting
for mental health treatment for their daughter.
Friends and family of Spears, 26, have said they believe
the mother-of-two may also be suffering from bipolar disorder,
characterized by abrupt mood swings, or other psychiatric
problems.
"In the case of Britney Spears' parents what you have to be
is extremely loving, extremely resourceful and extremely
persistent and every time you're defeated, just go at the
problem again," Steel told Reuters in a rare interview.
Steel, who has seven biological children and two adopted
stepchildren, said her son showed signs of mental illness from
an early age, but it took years of consulting different doctors
before he was diagnosed.
"I feel so sorry for her," said Steel, who has sold more
than 560 million copies of her books worldwide. "If it is the
case (that she has bipolar), she can get on track with the
right treatment and medication."
Spears was admitted to a Los Angeles hospital last month
for a psychiatric evaluation. But she was allowed to leave
after six days, causing her parents, Jamie and Lynn, to issue a
statement saying that they were "extremely disappointed."
They said their daughter was "in the throes of a mental
health crisis" and believed "her life is presently at risk."
Steel agrees. "When people aren't medicated it can be
lethal," she said, adding that she hadn't realized that when
dealing with her own son. "I thought it could ruin his life. I
really didn't understand how high the possibility was that it
could cost him his life."
"Usually bipolars present extremely well and they can
bounce into court ... look very together and be a complete mess
three hours later on the streets somewhere," she said. "There's
nothing you can do."
(Editing by Alan Elsner)
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