LOS ANGELES -- Britney Spears was released from a hospital psychiatric ward Wednesday, six days after being admitted amid concerns for her mental health, US media reported.

The troubled singer made a low-key departure from the UCLA Medical Center accompanied by private security guards, according to the Los Angeles Times, before returning to her Beverly Hills home.

However, later Wednesday, local television networks carried live footage of Spears and unidentified companions leaving her home in her black Mercedes and being trailed by a convoy of paparazzi.

Spears, 26, had been the subject of a mental health evaluation order after being whisked from her home by paramedics and police last Thursday on the recommendation of her psychiatrist.

Reports last weekend said Spears had her stay at the medical center extended by two weeks but the singer could legally demand to be released or go home if a doctor judged her suitable for outpatient treatment.

It was the second mental health scare for Spears in less than a month after she was rushed to hospital in early January by paramedics following a child custody stand-off with the her ex-husband Kevin Federline.

Spears' latest hospital drama triggered a court-room battle for control of the singer, with her father being temporarily placed in charge of his daughter's business and financial dealings.

Spears parents have also accused the singer's manager and companion Sam Lutfi of drugging their daughter and trying to control every aspect of her life, according to court documents unsealed on Tuesday.

"Mr Lutfi drugged Britney," Lynne Spears stated in the documents. "He has cut Britney's home phone line and removed her cell phone chargers. He claims to control everything."

Lutfi, 33, has been hit by a restraining that prevents him coming within 250 yards of Spears, her parents and the homes of the singer and her family.

Spears, one of the most successful pop stars of her generation, has been locked in a custody feud with Federline concerning the couple's two baby sons since the couple split in 2006.

A judge limited Spears' access to her children last October after she failed to submit to random drug testing as demanded at an earlier hearing where the court ruled she was a "habitual and continuous drug user."

Spears has been rarely out of the tabloid headlines since her split from Federline in late 2006.

She was repeatedly photographed out partying while wearing no underwear, bizarrely shaved her head at a public salon, and attacked a paparazzi's car with an umbrella before finally entering rehab.

Spears shot to superstardom in late 1998 with her smash-hit debut album "Baby One More Time," which she followed with another chart-topping success the following year, "Oops! ... I Did It Again."

Forbes last week said Spears remained one of the top 20 richest female singers in the world, ranking 14th after earning $8 million between 2006 and 2007.