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Cape Town – Britney Spears' mental health and the state thereof has been making headlines since January, but what is really going on?
The latest report from TMZ states the American hitmaker appeared in court on Friday, 10 May along with her mother Lynne, sister Jamie-Lynne, and father Jamie.
According to the report, Lynne is fighting for access to Britney's medical information after reading on social media that Jamie had forced Britney into a mental health facility against her will.
HERE IS A BREAKDOWN OF RECENT SIGNIFICANT EVENTS:
Withdrawal from the public eye
It all started when Britney announced in January that she is taking a step away from the public eye – including putting her new album on hold and cancelling her Vegas residency indefinitely – to take care of her father, who's health was deteriorating at the time.
READ MORE: Britney Spears puts Vegas residency on hold due to dad's health
'We all need to take time for a little me time'
Britney re-emerged on social media in early April to share a message with her fans that she was taking some time for herself.
Not long thereafter, it was reported that the 37-year-old had checked herself into a mental health facility to help her cope with her father's declining health, E! News reported at the time.
READ MORE: Britney Spears says she's taking a little 'me time'
Lynne's first response
Shortly after news that Britney was seeking professional help in rehab, Lynne took to Instagram to share a personal message to her daughter.
"Keep going no matter how bad things are right now, no matter how stuck you feel," Lynne captioned a post on Instagram that has since been deleted.
READ MORE: Britney Spears’ mom speaks out amid daughter’s mental health issues
Jamie becomes sole conservator after lawyer quits
Around the same time, Britney's lawyer Andrew Wallet resigned as her co-conservator and stated that his resignation be accepted immediately so as not to disrupt any ongoing business activities, Us Weekly reported.
Andrew's role was to monitor the singer's financial assets.
#FreeBritney starts trending
In mid-April the hashtag #FreeBritney started trending, with fans believing that the singer was being held in a treatment facility by her father and against her will.
The hashtag originally started trending thanks to a podcast called Britney's Gram, after the hosts claimed they received "an anonymous tip from a credible source" stating the above.
"What is happening is disturbing, to say the least. Basically, Britney was in rehearsals for Domination. It came to Jamie's attention that Britney was not taking her medication as prescribed. She was missing a lot of doses and just full-on not taking them," the hosts goes on to claim.
LISTEN TO THE PODCAST EPISODE HERE:
Britney breaks social media silence
In her first Instagram post since entering the mental health facility, Britney addressed the hashtag, assuring her fans all is well and that she is just dealing with a lot at the moment.
"My situation is unique but I promise I'm doing what is best at this moment," the Grammy winner wrote in the caption alongside a video and asked for privacy to help her "deal with all the hard things life is throwing my way".
In the video itself, Britney tells the camera she will be back soon.
READ MORE: Britney Spears addresses rumours about mental health
Britney checks out of mental health facility
At the end of April news broke that Britney had checked out of the treatment facility and was happy to continue working on herself in the comfort of her own home.
"Britney Spears checked out of the treatment facility this morning and was taken home by her boyfriend Sam. It was her decision to leave, but she will still be monitored from home," a source told E! News at the time.
READ MORE: Britney Spears checks out of treatment facility
The latest on Britney's status
According to TMZ, Britney requested specific adjustments to be made to her father's conservator ship, in addition to Lynne's request to be notified about all matters pertaining to her daughter.
Before making hasty decisions, the judge on Friday denied Britney's requests and instead ordered an expert evaluation - which will likely involve a mental examination of the conservatee, aka Britney.
The Toxic hitmaker was photographed leaving the courtroom barefoot.
A status hearing has been set for 18 September, which Britney does not have to attend.
