Britney Spears rushed to hospital

Britney Spears rushed to hospital amid suicide fears

Britney Spears has been rushed into psychiatric care amid fears for her safety and others around her.

She was willingly taken to UCLA Medical Centre just after 1am, after police and an ambulance descended on her home over fears she may commit suicide.

The hospitalisation comes after Britney's psychiatrist visited her and recommended she be temporarily committed on the basis she poses a danger to herself and to others, it was reported.

Britney, who is being treated for bipolar disorder, had not slept for days and has been spotted driving around blindly, even pulling over to ask a photographer directions in a bizarre English accent.

The psychiatrist ordered that she be treated under a 5150 hold, the same order that she was kept under after a three-hour standoff with police, where she refused to hand over her sons to Kevin Federline.

According to Californian law, the 5150 hold allows patients to be kept against their will for up to 72 hours.

Britney was followed to the hospital by her mum, Lynne, and on-off paparazzo boyfriend, Adnan Ghalib.

Sources say Britney did not resist going to the hospital but, earlier this month, she allegedly threatened to commit suicide if she is forced into psychiatric care.

She reportedly told a friend: 'They're not sending me to the nut house! No one can make me go - and I'm not going.'

'I'll kill myself before I let them lock me up again. So tell Mama and Daddy I said so. Oh my God, it's over for me.'