Dr. Charles Sophy says he was asked to review Britney’s medications amid allegations that she was so ‘overmedicated’ she was unable to present herself coherently.
A psychiatrist has claimed he was told that Britney Spears was ‘overmedicated’ while under her conservatorship to such an extent that she was ‘unable to speak’.
Dr. Charles Sophy is a psychiatrist and a former medical director of the County of Los Angeles Department of Children and Family Services. He claims that he was asked about Britney’s treatment.
According to the medical expert, he was asked about Britney’s medication and concerns that it was limiting her abilities. Britney’s mental health has been under scrutiny in recent months as she is battling to have a conservatorship overturned.
After the Toxic singer’s 2008 meltdown, a court gave control of her finances and personal affairs to Jamie Spears in 2008.
TMZ has interviewed Dr. Sophy after he claimed he was asked to assess the medications that Britney was taken while under her conservatorship.
He claims there were concerns that she was being overmedicated to a point that she could ‘barely speak’ – and that she may have seemed less capable of looking after herself as a result.
Speaking on the TMZ TV show, Dr Sophy said: “Earlier on in this process, about eight, 10 months ago, I was asked to come in and evaluate her medications – but I just wasn’t comfortable at that point because there was so much controversy about this whole ‘who’s in charge and who’s going to take ownership’, it was too convoluted at that point.
“But I’m willing to do it, whenever it comes.”
Asked who invited him to get involved in the assessment of the singer, Dr Sophy said: “I think a management person within her regime.”
Asked why he needed to assess her medication, Dr. Sophy claimed: “To see if she was appropriately medicated because I think at some point there was some talk about her being over-medicated and not being able to speak on her own behalf – and that’s why she continued to look like she needed a conservatorship.
“She can’t get out of it, the poor thing. She’s stuck in something that she doesn’t even know what she’s in.”
Dr Sophy went on to speculate Britney could be more coherent than some might think.
He said: “I think she made sense, so people can see she is reality-based, she’s not that ‘out of it as she’s been portrayed and I think, going forward, if they did keep her in a conservatorship, she should have some say and some control on some of the situations, especially her medications and her treatment.
“If her medication is too much, she’s always going to look like she needs help.”
He went on to explain that he knew other patients who were asked to take medication – and highlighted that they did not need to be under a conservatorship in order to ensure they complied.
He said: “You can court order somebody into treatment without a conservatorship where she has to show up every month to make sure her meds are taking, you can give shots that last for 30 days if she’s not going to take the medicine.
“There are ways around it, but you don’t need a conservatorship to ensure someone is going to take their meds.”
He also added that he thinks Britney should be allowed to end her conservatorship if she is able to prove she can take care of herself.
He said it would be appropriate: “for her to have her freedom, maybe for her to have a little bit of an eyeball on her for treatment where she shows up for the next six months, and if she’s compliant, maybe she doesn’t even need medicine, but if she shows up, stands up and shows she’s able to handle her life, then let her alone. Let her live her life.”
Britney has challenged her conservatorship and appeared in court earlier this year where she gave heartbreaking insight into how the conservatorship was affecting her life.
She claimed that she was banned from marrying her boyfriend, and had to use contraceptives to stop her from having any more children.
This week’s case is expected to reach its climax with a court appearance due today that could see the conservatorship ended.