A top US psychologist has declared Britney Spears will be dead in six months if she doesn't get the treatment she needs for a chronic mood disorder cyclothymia.

Dr. Lillian Glass has gone public with her diagnosis in the hope Spears will read her warning comments and seek medical aid.

The renowned Beverly Hills doctor tells America's Globe: "Unless Britney is locked away or put into a treatment program, she is going to die in six months - or even sooner.In my opinion, she suffers from cyclothymia, a chronic mood disorder in which short periods of mild depression are followed by short periods of hypomania.

That explains why one minute she can appear perfectly sane and the next she's exhibiting totally crazy behaviour."Dr. Glass tells the publication: "She's definitely a candidate for suicide if she isn't treated immediately.

"The diagnosis goes some way to explain why Spears suffered an apparent meltdown at her home on January 4, when she locked herself and her baby son in a bathroom at the end of a visitation term and refused to come out for three hours.The pop star was committed to hospital for a psychological evaluation after the stand-off with police and paramedics.

Spears' erratic behaviour continued this week when she fled a Los Angeles courthouse after refusing to testify in a crucial custody hearing.As a result, she lost visitation rights to her two young sons until the next hearing on February 19.