In case you live under a rock, Britney Spears has officially gone crazier than any of us thought possible.

After freaking her sh*t last Thursday night when it came time to return her two sons to their less insane parent, Spears participated in a three-hour standoff before being rushed to a hospital on a stretcher and checking herself out less than 48 hours later (apparently too early for people admitted with psychological issues). While nobody’s saying exactly why Spears was taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, it’s been reported that at the time of her hospitalization, she was “under the influence of an unknown substance”.

As if the circus wasn’t big enough, TV’s favorite media-whore “therapist” Dr. Phil got himself involved in Brit’s debacle, visiting her as she was checking out of the hospital and subsequently telling every news outlet that he was “very concerned” for her.

“My meeting with Britney and some family members this morning in her room at Cedars leaves me convinced more than ever that she is in dire need of both medical and psychological intervention.” The TV doc is quoted as saying. “She was released moments before my arrival and was packing when I entered the room. We visited for about an hour before I walked with her to her car. I am very concerned for her.”

Now, as much as I hope Mr. McGraw visited Britney because he was worried and felt it was his duty to do something no one in her family has bothered to do, I can’t help but wonder if he, like the rest of the world, is just using Spears as a way to boost himself up. Paparazzi egg her on, newscasters tisk their tongues, and bloggers like me make thousands of jokes at her expense, hoping she’ll do something even more insane tomorrow so we can be even funnier. Perezhilton has practically built an internet empire on play-by-play updates on craziness, and everyone surrounding her seems content to play down her psychosis and use her until she hits a wall.

The question then becomes, is Spears insane because of us, or in spite of us?

Here’s hoping someone has at least taken away her keys and Starbucks card. Drinking your weight in caffeine and calories twice a day is enough to make anyone go a little nuts.