Suffering in the spotlight for years and seared by the people around her, Britney Spears’ struggles may have finally ceased. For 13 years, the 38-year-old pop singer has been in a conservatorship under her father. A conservatorship is a legally binding agreement in which a responsible adult is authorized to control the life and financial affairs to care for another person.

Her father has had a troublesome past. Her uncle informed the Mirror that her father would regularly get drunk and physically abuse her mother. During Spears’ career, she faced many problems, which included being overworked and overpressured. These struggles led to her developing self-esteem and mental health issues. At one point, she was bombarded by fans for getting cosmetic surgery. Her situation received a lack of empathy from the public, creating more pressure for the singer.

All these problems led to a breaking point back in 2007. According to Rolling Stone, a young girl once asked for an autograph, and she replied, “I don’t know who you think I am… but I’m not that person.” Often, she was spotted shrieking profanities and throwing fits. As a result, she was admitted to a rehab facility. After leaving rehab, she was deemed mentally unstable, and her father went to court for a conservatorship in 2008.

She has since been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and has discussed her struggles with it. Bipolar disorder is a common mood disorder in which a person’s mood can dramatically shift to form manic and depressive episodes. With proper medications it can be treated.

Since then, her food, clothing, shelter, medical care, and money have all been managed by her father. However, other conservators were occasionally switched in.  Fighting in social media and in court, her battle has sparked the massive #FreeBritney movement. According to Insider, she spoke about the situation and said, “It’s my wish and my dream for all of this to end. I just want my life back… I truly believe this conservatorship is abusive.” On August 12, 2021, Jamie Spears agreed to resign. However, recent details came out that Jamie wanted $2 million to step down. This garnered even more controversy in a story that has yet to end.