Britney Spears had such a publicized meltdown that it seemed the world knew every detail: her wild all-night partying, fights with her family, custody battles with ex-husband Kevin Federline over her baby boys and, finally, two hospitalizations in January for mental issues. The cameras captured it, her friends and family talked openly about it and court papers documented it. But in an upcoming book, author Ian Halperin - an award-winning investigative journalist who has written biographies on Kurt Cobain, James Taylor and Céline Dion - makes a shocking new allegation about Britney: She tried to kill herself on two separate occasions. Halperin includes reports of Britney's suicide attempts in his book, as well as disturbing new allegations of drug use. "I saw a lot," he tells Life & Style. "I partied with her and was able to really monitor what type of stuff she was using. It's very concerning." While Britney's led a quieter, healthier life since her second hospitalization - when she was reportedly diagnosed with bipolar disorder - the author still believes her life is at risk. "I think she's in danger of a catastrophic relapse," he says. "Britney herself warned me that with her, it's always two steps forward, one step back." A Spears family insider agrees that while Britney is much calmer than before, she's hardly cured. "She's on major medications," the insider explains. "And she's being micro­managed and controlled to the extreme by her parents, the courts and a huge team of doctors and handlers." Read more about Britney's latest traumas in the new issue of Life & Style, on newsstands now!

Read more at: http://www.lifeandstylemag.com/2008/06/in_life_style_now_britneys_sui.php.