Daily US Times: In a court hearing on Wednesday, Britney Spears broke her silence regarding her court-ordered conservatorship that has been in place for nearly 13 years.

The singer requested to address Judge Brenda Penny to speak out about the arrangement. She attended the hearing virtually by phone and spoke for more than 20 minutes as she read from prepared notes.

The singer began: “A lot has happened since two years ago…the last time I was in court. I haven’t been back to court in a long time because I don’t think I was heard on any level when I came to court the last time.”

She said she felt she had been forced to perform, was made to use birth control and was given no privacy, take medication and attend therapy sessions against her will.

Britney Spears said that she was put on lithium, despite her objections.

The singer said in the hearing: “Lithium is a very, very strong [medication] and completely different medication than what I’ve been on. You can go mentally impaired if you take too much, stay on it longer than five months. I felt drunk. I couldn’t even stick up for myself. I couldn’t even have a conversation with my mom or dad about anything. I told them I was scared and they had six different nurses come to my home to monitor me while I was on this medication that I didn’t want to be on to begin with.”

Lithium is commonly used to treat bipolar disorder, which often causes episodes of mania and depression — a feeling of uncontrolled excitement and irritability. It can also be used to treat depression.

Spears criticized how her family, including her father Jamie Spears, has handled her conservatorship, saying: “My family didn’t do a God damn thing. Anything that happened to me had to be approved by my dad… he was the one who approved all of it. My whole family did nothing.”

You may read: Britney Spears asks to address court over conservatorship case