Posted Sunday February 03, 2008 12:40 PM EST
Britney Spears's hospitalization has been extended to an additional 14-day hold, a source exclusively confirms to PEOPLE.
Only her psychiatrist would've had the authority to request the involuntary stay. However, it's possible the singer could be out earlier if she legally demands to be released or her doctor deems her well enough for outpatient treatment.
What is life like for Spears at the Stewart & Lynda Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital at UCLA? According to the patient's bill of rights at the hospital, she is allowed to wear her own clothes and keep her own personal possessions, including toiletries. She may also see visitors every day and make and receive phone calls – but not on her personal cell phone. There are pay phones on the floor.
There are two wings at the hospital, separated by a kitchen/dining room. Patients sometimes mix, especially for smoke breaks out on the deck, which is gated and surrounded by a metal fence.
The average patient sees his or her attending doctor every day. Since UCLA is a teaching hospital, the attending doctors are often accompanied by students. Staffers check on patients at least once an hour, even during the night.
'It's a Terrible Situation'
The Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital is known as one of the top facilities of its kind; still, "It is a terrible situation," says a source close to the Spears family. "Britney is in a padded room. Her family is so worried about her."Terry K. Wasserman, a veteran L.A. attorney specializing in mental health cases (who’s not involved in the Spears matter), explains that if a patient becomes combative, he or she "could be placed in a 'quiet room,' some of which are padded."
Wasserman adds: "Another possibility is being confined to a bed by leather restraints. In extreme, life-threatening situations – when the patient is a threat to oneself or medical staff – a psychiatrist can inject a person with psychotropic medication."
In addition, Wasserman says, "a doctor can force a patient to take prescribed medication. If he or she resists taking the meds, the psychiatrist can obtain authorization to forcefully medicate the person – but only after a hearing on the matter takes place."
