Britney SpearsBritney Spears has reportedly been categorised as “GD” - Gravely Disabled - by doctors at the UCLA Medical Center, meaning she is more likely to be held beyond her initial 72 hour evaluation.

A patient is classed as “GD” if they are unable to take care of their basic needs such as the acquisition of food, clothing and shelter or manage their own healthcare, and it is one of the criteria for involuntary commitment. Sources close to the singer claim her constant entourage of assistants, advisers and paparazzi have covered up the severity of her condition over the last year by carrying out a lot of routine tasks for her or helping out when she hits a problem in public but her repeated “unthinking exhibitionism”, dependence on fast food (including regularly feeding it to her young sons) and frequent disruptive behaviour point at deeper issues.

A source explained: “There have been many occasions where Britney has started to buy food or groceries but been unable to pay for them and someone else has had to help her out. People initially put this down to her being a diva and expecting others on her payroll to carry money for her but now people are starting to realise that it might have been a symptom of her illness instead.”

After an initial tussle with Sam Lufti, Britney’s parents Jamie and Lynne Spears are said to be overseeing Britney’s treatment after planning the “carefully orchestrated intervention”.

Lynne flew to Los Angeles at the weekend to be with her oldest daughter and a source told Us Weekly that she was “devastated” by what she saw: “She hadn’t seen her in a while and to see her deteriorated to this level - what mother wouldn’t be affected by that? It’s awful.”

Lynne tried to stay close to Britney while Jamie and Britney’s brother Bryan worked with her lawyers and psychiatrist to make the arrangements to have the star hospitalised. After Britney’s brief stay in Cedars-Sinai earlier in the month, UCLA was chosen as the facility this time as it is a stricter unit with more experience of dealing with disruptive bipolar patients.

But after Britney is released from there - which could be as early as tomorrow if an additional 14 day hold is not sanctioned - Lynne is said to be planning to take her home to Louisiana to be with her extended family.

One of Britney’s lawyers, Michael Flanagan, told the New York Post: “Lynne is extremely concerned for her daughter and would like to take Britney back home to Louisiana and get her out of Hollywood.”

“Brit has an amazing support system in Louisiana. Lynne was holding up reasonably well, but her first priority and concern right now is with her daughter and helping her through this very tough situation that she is in.”

In Touch Weekly is reporting that Britney’s other lawyers, Trope and Trope, only agreed to drop their request to withdraw their representation of the star after the intervention proceedings were put in motion.

An inside source told the magazine that an ultimatum was put to Britney’s family - either she is forced to get help or they would drop her as a client: “Britney never talked to them [her lawyers] and was not compliant.”

“She didn’t seem serious about fighting for her kids. She thought if she was paying them, then it was their job.”

“One attorney told Lynne that Britney was a danger to herself and would never get her kids back if she didn’t clean up her act. They were the reason Lynne finally came out here again.”