Mariah back in hospital

Singer Mariah Carey, who had just recovered from a nervous breakdown, is back in hospital it was reported today.

The troubled star suffered a relapse and is a patient in a Los Angeles hospital, it was reported.

‘‘She has had an emotional setback,’’ said a source in California.

Carey’s spokeswoman, Cindi Berger, issued a terse ‘‘no comment’’.

Carey ‘‘may have tried to go back to work too soon. She had been meeting with executives at Virgin Records, and apparently she simply wasn’t ready for that,’’ the source said.

Earlier Carey had cancelled a ‘comeback’ TV interview with Barbara Walters.

"She needs more time to rest,’’ Berger said then.

After more than a dozen chart topping singles, Carey began cracking up after her single Loverboy floundered on the charts and she found herself losing fans to rivals like Jennifer Lopez, Christina Aguilera and Britney Spears.

She capped several weeks of erratic behaviour by going on a plate-smashing spree in a New York hotel and was admitted to a psychiatric hospital.

Her family denied reports that she had tried to commit suicide.

She was released after two weeks of treatment for what her handlers called an ‘‘emotional and physical breakdown.’’