Radar has an interesting story that attempts to explain why Britney keeps taking what seem to be abrupt breaks on the set of X-Factor. (She’s taken at least two that we’ve heard of, although Simon Cowell and Britney both deny that there’s any issue.) According to their sources, Britney suffers from ADHD, which makes her unable to concentrate and focus on a task for an extended period of time. Radar’s source is kind of harsh about it, and compares Britney to a ten year-old kid. Supposedly the ADHD meds interfere with other medication she is taking, so she can’t be on both and that’s contributing to the issue. Here’s Radar’s story:

“Britney was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in her teens and used to take medication for it,” a source close to the situation tells RadarOnline.com exclusively. “The medication helped her deal with it, however, she can’t take it now because it interferes with the other medications she takes for her mental health issues. Britney’s current team of doctors strictly prohibit her from taking Adderall or Ritalin, which are commonly given to people with ADHD.

“Simon was made fully aware of Britney’s medical history before the contract was signed, so this certainly isn’t a big surprise that she needs to take breaks during the audition process. Look, Britney basically has the attention span of a 10-year-old at times. It’s not alarming to Simon at all and he is fully supportive of Britney doing whatever she needs to do during filming.”

According to the Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Association, about 8 million adults suffer from the disorder and symptoms include overall restlessness, poor sustained attention to tasks and impaired impulse control.

“Britney’s medical team works with her to deal with her disorder without medication and daily vigorous exercise is what often works best for Britney. Her nutrition is closely monitored and so is her caffeine intake, because that can also enhance Britney’s inability to focus. Simon knew what he was dealing with before he ever signed her to join the show and it’s not shocking to him. Of course, it’s rather disconcerting for people that see her do it for the first time but it’s truly nothing to be alarmed at. In fact, Simon would have been surprised if she hadn’t taken breaks during judging last week, this means she is involved and engaged in the process,” the insider says.

[From Radar Online]

I wanted to ask something to our readers with ADHD about coffee, since this article mentions it. I had a boyfriend in college with ADHD and he said that coffee actually helped him focus, which would make sense because the typical ADHD drugs are stimulants. I guess it depends on the person, but does coffee help you? I googled it and found that there are cases where moms give coffee to their kids with ADHD.

Meanwhile US Weekly adds a little more to this story in their print edition this week. They claim that Britney is talking up the contestants so much that she’s giving them false hope. They make it sound like she’s less of a Paula Abdul encouraging type and more of an indiscriminate flatterer. They quote a source who claims Britney “always said nice things, even telling one mediocre singer he could be ‘bigger than Justin Bieber.’ Simon was shocked!”

They go on to say “I don’t know how she’s going to handle the live shows,” which is pretty much what all the Internet chatter has focused on lately.

As I’ve mentioned before, Britney pulled off two grueling world tours in the past few years since her incident(s). I think she’s capable of doing this gig, but we’ll have to see how well she can bring it, and what kind of judge she is. Whatever happens, X Factor has received a ton of buzz for Britney. Simon knows that people are going to watch just to scrutinize her. It’s happening already and the show hasn’t even aired. That’s no small part of the reason why she was worth $15 million a year to them. So, do you think Simon is setting up these stories for publicity? I wouldn’t be surprised.