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Critics are questioning the timing of Fantasia Barrino’s suicide attempt and wondering if she was only trying to stir up interest in her new album. However, three experts tell HollywoodLife.com it’s sick to think she planned to commit suicide for promotional purposes!

Despite winning American Idol and appearing on Broadway, Fantasia Barrino has not been in a good place lately. Because she so desperately needs to get to revive her flailing music career, some naysayers are calling her recent suicide attempt a pathetic attempt to create some drama around the release of her new album, Back to Me, which dropped today. But did Fantasia attempt to take her own life because of her career? Why was she giving interviews just two weeks after the August 9 incident?

HollywoodLife.com spoke with three experts — a psychiatrist, a psychotherapist and a celebrity image expert — who all agree: Fantasia’s suicide attempt wasn’t for publicity, and now that she’s on a press tour, she’s better equipped to control her story than have the media run amok with idle speculation.

“You don’t make a suicide attempt for publicity. It’s a very sad event. It’s not something that makes people want to buy albums,” psychotherapist Dr. Jenn Berman tells us, adding, “Fantasia’s press tour is scheduled. I’m sure she felt a sense of obligation to fulfill her commitment.”

Los Angeles-based psychiatrist and author of the upcoming book, Bad Girls: Why Men Love Them & How Good Girls Can Learn Their Secrets, Dr. Carole Lieberman, believes Fantasia tried to take her own life in order to win her married ex-lover of more than a year, T-Mobile salesman Antwaun Cook, back into her arms.

“Fantasia wanted to get his attention and show him how much she needs him to try to prevent him from going back to his wife,” Dr. Lieberman says. “Not a good move…although this might have gotten a sympathetic reaction from him at first, it’s likely to backfire.”

Celebrity image expert Michael Sands says that Fantasia needs to hide out for a few months and NOT immediately jump back into her promotional duties – she needs to lay low to avoid suspicion.  “I think she can build back her image by staying under the radar for six months and dealing with what she’s been through personally,” Sands advises.

Dr. Lieberman believes the R&B singer is doing the right thing by conducting interviews with the press, as long as she is receiving intense therapy at the same time.

“Fantasia is trying to do damage control by acknowledging it was a real suicide attempt instead of having the media report this,” she says.

Dr. Jenn agrees. “Sometimes it’s better to control the press than to refuse to talk about it. This way she can control the story and tell HER truth,” she says, concluding, “Sometimes interviews can add salt to the wound, but other times talking about it and trying to be a role model for other people can be helpful. The distraction of going on a tour and having fans adore you can sometimes be a little healing.”

–Kirstin Benson