Britney Spears was released yesterday from the pyschiatric ward of the hospital where she's been for almost a week on involuntary hold.

"[Spears' release] occurred without any law enforcement intervention, and for the public that's a good thing," Captain Sharyn Buck, commander of the North Hollywood police station, which covers the area of Spears' home, told CNN.

Unlike other recent situations involving Spears, she was not mobbed by paparazzi upon her exit from the hospital — she left without much notice, according to the Times. She was escorted by a private-security detail. Spears was photographed and videotaped driving around Los Angeles later Wednesday afternoon, and according to UsMagazine.com, she reunited with paparazzo friend Adnan Ghalib at a hotel in Beverly Hills, California, shortly after her release. Sources told the Times that she would be getting additional treatment.

Hey, y'all. Let's throw her a welcome-home-from-the-looney-bin party. We'll make a tuna casserole and non-alcoholic sangria (Kool-Aid) and you bring a dessert. Now the only question is, what to wear? It may be February, but we've been waiting for the perfect time to bust out the sparkly bra/jean shorts combination. 

[MTV News: Britney Spears Released From Hospital Psychiatric Ward]