Less than two days after Britney Spears was involuntarily sent to a Los Angeles psych ward, celebrity self-help guru Dr. Phil went to visit her in "cooperation with her parents," he says. He later issued statements to the media about her mental condition, leading Spears' family and many in the mental health community to question both Dr. Phil's motives and his professional ethics.

"The family basically extended an invitation of trust for him to come in as a resource to support them, not to go out and make public statements," said Lou Taylor, a family business manager, on NBC's "Today" show.

"It's entertainment, no question about that," says J. Ray Hays, Ph.D., a clinical and forensic psychologist at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. "That's the pitiful part."

Dr. Hays insists the celebrity shrink's house call to Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles was "just adding fuel to the fire" of the troubled pop star's emotional crisis.

"That's not appropriate treatment of anybody under any circumstances," Dr. Hays continues. "There's nothing wrong with reaching out to people. But you ought to do it quietly and professionally. The whole thing doesn't leave a good taste in my mouth."

This troubling installment of the Britney Spears saga began on January 3, 2008. Police were called to Spears' home after the 26-year-old pop star refused to allow her children, Sean Preston, 2, and Jayden James, 16 months, to go back to their father, Kevin Federline, who has custody of the boys. Spears reportedly locked herself in the bathroom with Jayden, and officers resorted to breaking down the door to get mother and son out. Spears was sent to the hospital, strapped to a stretcher, where she was held for evaluation as a danger to herself or others. This latest Britney brouhaha has alarmed the media, legal and health communities, leading to questions and concerns about her mental state, especially with two young children involved.

"This is a serious situation," says Keith Ablow, M.D., a forensic psychiatrist and talk show host. "It's not easy to get yourself hospitalized. The filter is very fine as to who makes it into an in-patient setting."

Dr. Phil had scheduled a televised interview with parents Jamie and Lynne Spears, and wanted the pop star to appear on the show. Contrary to reports claiming he showed up unannounced, Dr. Phil insists he was invited to talk to Britney in the hospital by the Spears family.

Through Taylor, the business manager, the Spears blasted Dr. Phil for betraying their trust. "Any statement publicly that he made, because he was brought in under the cloak of trust, are just inappropriate," she said.

"My meeting with Britney and some family members this morning in her room at Cedars Sinai leaves me convinced more than ever that she is in dire need of both medical and psychological intervention. . . I am very concerned about her," Dr. Phil said in a statement regarding his one-hour Britney visit that was later reported to have lasted only about 15 minutes during her discharge.

Various reports have speculated that Spears has signs of having bipolar disorder, also known as manic depression, or postpartum depression.

"In general, mental health professionals do not seek to provide services to a patient unless the patient requests those services," says Paul S. Appelbaum, M.D., the director of the Division of Psychiatry, Law and Ethics at Columbia University. And even in this case, where Spears was hospitalized involuntarily, she had access to Cedar Sinai's physicians and psychologists. Moreover, Dr. Appelbaum insists that mental health professionals owe a duty of confidentiality to their patients, with the exception of child abuse and other urgent circumstances.

The confidentiality of medical information is assured under the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, or HIPAA.

"Whatever standard media personalities are held to, it is important for the public to understand that this is not how mental health professionals in treatment relationships behave," says Dr. Appelbaum.

The question, however, is whether Dr. Phil is actually clinically treating Spears as a patient. Phillip C. McGraw, 57, received a doctorate in psychology in 1979 from University of North Texas. After a decade in private practice, the Texas State Board of Examiners of Psychologists imposed disciplinary sanctions on him for a "dual relationship" with a former patient and "violation of code of ethics."

McGraw later started a legal strategy business. He was hired by Oprah's attorneys for the so-called mad cow disease trial of 1998, which eventually launched his successful television career. McGraw no longer holds a license with the Texas State Board of Psychologists and he has never been licensed by the California Board of Psychology.

Regardless of his credentials, Dr. Ablow recognizes Dr. Phil's powerful personality and skills as a healer -- and to draw millions of viewers. "I think it is fine to talk to family about concern for a family member," says Dr. Ablow. "It's okay to ask to visit someone because the family is concerned. The place where we would differ is that's the time you stop talking to the public. It isn't about the TV cameras. Even if she had said, 'Let's do this in public; it'll be interesting,' the ideal response would be, 'You've had enough of trying to do this in public. This about your life.'"

Dr. Phil has since canceled the Spears segment, explaining on his Web site that the situation was "too intense" for him to move forward with the taping.

"This is not a TV special," continues Dr. Ablow. "And that's where there might be a bit of hubris. Here's a woman who may suffer from a true mood disorder, who has apparently struggled with substance abuse, has demonstrated bizarre, impulsive behavior, and is under tremendous stress and strain."

What is being overlooked here, the family says, is Spears' sense of safety. "I mean, here you have Britney, that needs to have some security somewhere, that every single thing she does and every single person she has a relationship with doesn't become an opportunity to be exploited," said Taylor on "Today." "When do you ever rest in that if you're constantly in fear of being exploited?"

Her true healer, Dr. Ablow says, is not someone who stands to gain from the relationship. "That person should be medically trained, clinically gifted, and very conscious of the value of her knowing that treatment is a pure offering."

With no strings attached and no audience.

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