Britney getting help for her mental troubles, says manager

8220;He said that she has been to a psychiatrist and that she, I assume, is starting some kind of treatment,8221; said Walters, a co-host on the ABC daytime talk show.

8220;She has been having mood swings. She8217;s been having trouble sleeping, and also she is in touch with her mother, 8217;cause we had heard she wasn8217;t, and her mother has been very supportive of whatever it is that Britney is going to do,8221; Walters said.

Lutfi has been staying with Spears constantly, 8220;and he got in touch with us,8221; Walters said. 8220;I can8217;t vouch for this, he seemed to be very knowledgeable and he certainly was very nice.8221;

Spears8217; attorney, Sorrell Trope, did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment yesterday. Spears8217; spokeswoman at Jive Records, Gina Orr, didn8217;t immediately respond to an e-mail seeking comment.

Spears has spiraled downward since filing for divorce from Kevin Federline in November 2006. Her bizarre public antics include shaving her head bald, attacking a car with an umbrella and bringing along a paparazzo pal on trips to a Los Angeles courthouse in her custody case with Federline.

The singer was taken to a Los Angeles hospital by paramedics earlier this month after police were called to her home because of a dispute involving her sons Sean Preston, 2, and Jayden James, 1. She has lost custody and visitation rights with the boys.