Amanda Bynes, Former Child Star, Found Naked In The Street
Amanda Bynes was found walking naked in Los Angeles and has been committed to a psychiatric hospital for an unknown amount of time.
Amanda Bynes has been committed to a psychiatric hospital after the former child star had a mental health episode near downtown Los Angeles, according to TMZ. The incident occurred on Sunday, and luckily Bynes didn’t experience any physical harm during her ordeal, which found her walking around naked before waving a car down so she could explain her situation, and call 911. After an evaluation of her mental state was performed, the former Nickelodeon star was sent to a psychiatric hospital to recover from the episode.
This isn’t the first time Amanda Bynes has had public mental health issues stemming from bipolar disorder, and the former All That star had to cancel her upcoming appearance at this weekend’s upcoming ’90s Con in Connecticut as a result. This incident, which took place on Sunday, March 19, was almost one year from the day when Bynes terminated her conservatorship with her mother. Her conservatorship (similar to that of Britney Spears‘ controversial legal situation) was for nine years, and until Sunday’s incident, the star appeared to be of sound mental health.
The important thing to consider about bipolar disorder, or manic-depression, as it has been called in the past, is that those afflicted could have a life without incident if they go to therapy, and take the proper medications. Though bipolar disorder isn’t always as cut and dry as it’s made out to be, and in the case of Amanda Bynes, she needed additional help in the form of a conservatorship with her mother. External stressors, a change in medication, or even seasonal changes can still trigger a psychotic episode stemming from a manic phase whether somebody with the disorder takes all the appropriate steps or not.
Amanda Bynes saw a rise to fame in the 1990s and 2000s with her contribution to the Nickelodeon sketch comedy series All That. In fact, she was a breakout character with her “Ask Ashley” sketches, which led to her getting her own series, aptly titled The Amanda Show. From that point in her career, she kept busy with film roles such as She’s the Man, Hairspray, and 2010’s Easy A alongside Emma Stone, but she started having apparent mental health issues at this time and hasn’t done much work in TV or film since.
In 2018, Amanda Bynes went on record stating that she had been sober for four years with the help of her parents, and this could very still be the case. Though her substance abuse issues in the past could have greatly contributed to her mental health issues at the time, sobriety is not always a catch-all solution for those afflicted with bipolar disorder. And she seems self-aware in regard to her issues; she knew she was having issues, and while her mental state may have been questionable on Sunday, she was lucid enough to know that she needed immediate help.
Luckily for Amanda Bynes, she’s currently in a safe place, and hopefully getting the help she needs to get back on track. It’s one thing to be afflicted with mental health issues, but they will only be exacerbated if also held under public scrutiny. We’ve seen celebrities have very public meltdowns, time and time again, and we’re all too quick to judge their mental state without being sympathetic to the situation; we’re all human after all.
