According to a new article in The National Enquirer, Britney has battled with the eating disorder bulimia all of her adult life. This is said to have come to light when she was caught making herself puke at the high end rehab, Promises, where she’s reluctantly staying at the insistence of her concerned family.

Britney is also said to be suffering from paranoid delusions, including the belief that she is being watched and recorded. The article claims she checks her room at rehab for listening devices and hidden cameras. Given how famous she is, I wouldn’t say this is just mental illness talking.

There was an earlier story in the Enquirer that Britney’s family was about to put her in a mental institution if she dropped out or wasn’t able to complete rehab, and they repeat those claims this week. They say Britney hasn’t come to terms with her problems and that she’s not ready to admit she’s an addict.

She was caught making herself throw up by one of the staff members and is said to confessed to having bulimia since she was 16. It’s also supposedly true that she wrote 666 on her head and tried to hang herself, which may have been due to not getting the bipolar medication she’s been taking. Oh and she does want K-Fed back:

“Britney has bulimia. She said she’s been throwing up her food since she was 16,” a source told the Enquirer.

“She’d pig out on junk food – chips, candy, Cokes, cookies and ice cream – and then feel so guilty that she’d make herself throw it up…

“The only thing that stopped her from throwing up her food was when she got pregnant the first time. But as soon as she delivered her son Sean Preston, she was back throwing up again to lose the baby weight.”

Britney’s bulimia continues after she checked into the rehab center Promises for a second time on Feb. 21, says the source, who adds that doctors there also diagnosed her with bipolar disorder and postpartum depression.

“Britney is on medication for bipolar disorder, but she’s been making herself throw up and the medication is not staying in her system like it needs to,” added an insider.

“As a result, Britney lose it entirely and tried to hang herself with her bed sheets.

“She’d written ‘666’ on her forehead because she thought she was posessed by the devil. Then she went into a group therapy session without a hat or wig… and sat down.”

“When the woman sitting next to her asked why she’d written ‘666’ on her forehead, Britney told her that she didn’t want to live anymore.

“Then she started screaming and ran back to her room, where she pulled the sheets off the bed. She was trying to tie a noose around her neck when staff members came into the room.

“She told them she wanted to kill herself.”

[From The National Enquirer print edition, March 19, 2007]

I didn’t believe that 666 suicide attempt story as it originated in a British gossip rag and seemed to be pure fabrication to me at the time. It could be true as there were ambulances seen outside of Promises that weekend according to the paparazzi that were crouched nearby waiting to catch Britney on a smoke break. This story makes it seem more likely, although it’s possible the Enquirer is just using that earlier report for the information and putting their own spin on it.

Indeed, a British paper has now picked up this Britney’s bulimic tale and added some dubious insider quotes to it.

Britney is also said to have called a psychic hotline for advice over her failed marriage to K-Fed. The psychic told her they would get back together.

Get well Britney. Bulimia is pretty serious, although you’ve got to cut the bullshit and get humble if you want sobriety.

Britney was seen skipping out early on an AA meeting (no permalink available) outside of rehab to hang out in her SUV and smoke cigarettes.

Here are pictures of pregnant Britney getting ice cream in early September of last year. Thanks to JustJared.