The last we heard of Amanda Bynes, she had flown to LA and was immediately “tricked” into checking into a facility where she was placed on an involuntary psych hold. This trickery was orchestrated by Amanda’s parents and Sam Lufti, of all people. Once Amanda was under a 5150 hold, sources claimed that Amanda’s parents were once again looking at their options. A guardianship/conservatorship would be more difficult this time around because Amanda seems to blame her parents for much of her current situation. Sources said it was possible that Amanda could get an “LPS Hold” which would mean at least one year at a lock-down facility where she would be forcibly medicated. That’s the last we heard, that her parents were looking at her options and that Amanda’s mental health was and is so frail that a 72-hour psych hold was extended to two weeks. And now it’s been extended again:
Amanda Bynes is in such bad shape … her doctors secretly got an order from a judge that allows them to hold her for another month … TMZ has learned.
We’ve learned Amanda’s doctors asked a judge Monday for a 30-day extension to her involuntary commitment. She’s been in a psychiatric facility for the last 17 days, and if an extension wasn’t granted she would have walked out the front door yesterday.
But Amanda’s shrinks made a convincing case … she is “very ill” and in no shape to care for herself. The judge agreed to the extension.
What’s unclear … whether Amanda’s parents will go back to court to regain a conservatorship over her. Initially we were told they would seek another conservatorship, but our sources say they’ve had a change of heart. Amanda feels betrayed by them for having her committed, so controlling her would be a Herculean effort. The likely scenario is that the psychiatric hold will be extended for a long time.
Well, it’s good that her doctors were on the case and that Amanda was not released into society. I feel sad that we’re using language like “forced” and “lockdown” and “without her consent” because that kind of terminology is so loaded, nevermind the fact that she is just a young woman with significant mental health issues that could conceivably be dealt with in some sort of outpatient way. I partially blame Amanda’s parents too, but not the same way she blames her parents. The parents have been in denial about her mental health issues for too long, and they spent much of the past year claiming that Amanda’s problem was merely smoking weed. It’s not the weed. I hope they realize that now.
Oh, and this was announced late last night – Amanda’s parents were granted a conservatorship for Amanda’s finances. Her parents told the judge Amanda had spent “alarming amounts of money by purchasing jewelry for strangers.” Amanda has a net worth of about $5.7 million, most of it real estate, and that she’s blown through a lot of her liquid assets in the past few months.
Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet.
Jesus! …this is just sad and frightening… Thanks God drs arent taking this lackdaisical “it’s just weed/she never drinks” approach her parents have in the past … She clearly needed actions taken and quickly too based on how much and how fast she deteriorated
+1. I am seriously worried about her.
Kinda saw this coming. Hope she gets better , I use to love some of her movies.
I hate to say it but I have to disagree with you on this one. Someone like her is in no shape to be dealt with on an outpatient basis.
I agree. She doesn’t even have the support network to deal with this as an outpatient. Her parents have demonstrated completed inability to deal with this.
I agree. Maybe she meant that she COULD be helped on an out patient basis if circumstances were different. I have seen posts on this site and every time whoever is writing it has said they agree she needs to be in patient. Have to wonder if she means that if her parents (and Amanda, of course) had done things right the first time, she could be out by now and dealing with her issues through outpatient? If what I’m saying makes sense, lol. Kinda early here on the west coast, so my brain is thinking, but words may not be explaining them right. Haha. I just know that every writer I’ve seen do an article on her have been very supportive of her getting the help she needs. 😊 Sad, and I hope it works this time. She seems to be a very nice young woman and I’m pulling for her! 😃
I have a family member going through a similar situation with a teenage daughter, and I think it’s very hard to judge these people. I haven’t been following the Bynes case closely enough to know every move her parents have made, but I think parents often feel hopeless in such situations. A lot of mental health issues don’t manifest until the teens and 20s and her parents may not have realized the extent of Amanda’s troubles because she never used to behave so erratically until recently. She also has older parents who may or may not be out of touch. Mental illness was and still is taboo, which perpetuates the public’s ignorance about it.
Thank you! It’s clear she isn’t capable of being consistent with therapy and meds. She cannot be treated on an outpatient basis. I don’t have an issue with her being “forced” “against her will” to be stabilized either. These are the things that must be done to stabilize mental illness and save the patient from their own inability to make sound decisions. The courts don’t take these things lightly. It has to be demonstrated that the person would be harmed if left to her own devices. If she has schizophrenia this is the first of many inpatient hospitalizations in her life because the nature of the disorder makes people suspicious of the very meds that help them and they go through cycles of noncompliance with meds. Amanda is where she needs to be.
@ Carrie – I agree with you that this may not be an outpatient situation. If it was, she would have sought help for herself but she didn’t because she’s probably lacking any ability to know the difference between ‘normal’ and mentally ill as she goes about her day. I don’t think she has that capability to self-monitor herself and be an accurate judge. That’s part of mental illness, the inability to know when one isn’t acting ‘normally.’ Another problem with the mentally ill self-monitoring themselves is that they start to think they’re not that sick or even ill at all and then they stop taking medications and use all sorts of justifications not to take them anymore.
Even if she were ordered to go to doctors on an outpatient basis, unless she’s really good at self-discipline and she takes her meds in front of medical personnel on a daily basis and possibly more than once a day, it’s not going to be a certainty that she will keep up this routine because again, the mentally ill start to develop all sorts of reasons why they don’t need medications and therapy anymore.
It’s like they say, if you think you’re ‘crazy’ then you’re probably not. That’s because the truly ‘crazy’ don’t realize they’re ‘crazy.’ They think their actions are normal and made through a thoughtful decision-making process.
I was just about to say Amanda’s parents will only take her in again if she’s still got money left. But I suppose now they’ve got what they wanted all along. Pimp’s payday. Smh
That is such an ugly and horrible thing to say. That is their child. They undoubtedly love her. To assume that they don’t care about her and just want her money is just vicious and nasty. It has got to be breaking their hearts to know their child is suffering with a severe mental illness. Like most parents, I’m sure they would give anything to have her healthy and functioning.
That is a disgusting thing to say, couldn’t agree more @Samihami! @Captain Hero, are you basing this on things you’ve read in the media or do you know these parents personally? Because if it is based off media, shame on you and if you know them personally (ha), double shame on you for spreading crap!!!! 😠
But they’re not most parents, they’re stage parents. Two words: Dan Schneider
If there is even ONE OUNCE of truth to what is said about Dan Schneider, he should never be allowed around children (young girls) again. His wife’s HUNGRY GIRL handle is very fitting. That pervert probably fits into this story somewhere (even if he isn’t the sole reason for her inner torment).
I’m going to give them the benefit of the doubt and say I think her parents were in deep denial about the extent of her illness, but I’m hoping they now see the reality of the situation and do what is best for her. I didn’t see any reports of them spending her money when they first held the conservatorship, so I don’t know if it’s fair to accuse them of that now. She is likely going to need long term care, and I hope they manage her funds well to provide for that.
What a crass, unfounded thing to say. And it’s worth pointing out that no amount of money would be worth it to deal with a person with severe mental illness. It is the most difficult thing a person can take on. Her parents are living a nightmare right now when they should be enjoying their retirement.
If they wanted to they could’ve fought to retain conservatorship in the first place but they didn’t. Their worst sin is being naive about Amanda’s ability to pull it together and move forward without additional monitoring.
I think they were probably hopeful. She probably seemed to be much improved, but as often happens, the ill person feels better and stops taking their meds because they don’t think they need them. And it’s really, really hard to force an adult to take medicine unless they’re institutionalized.
From what I read before, they blamed everything on her pot smoking and they took her off of her medicine, believing that her only problem was the pot. Having an impartial party would be better to oversee her conservatorship. I’m glad that she actually has doctors who have her best interests in mind this time, instead of doctors who cowtow to the parents, who are delusional.
Just get well, Mandy.
I can’t believe for as long as she has worked, she’s only worth $5 million and almost 3 million of that is not even liquid cash. That is just shocking!
If anything, she should have financial control taken away permanently since she has shown no sign of wanting to work again. She’ll never survive on that until old age with the way she is accustomed to living.
So sad. I just hope she can get on and stay on the right medication for her, but from what I have seen in other people, this is will be part of lifelong cycle of in and out of institutions, on and off meds, and constant heartache and worry for those who love her. Heartbreaking.
Heartbreaking indeed. Such a sad story. Mental illness is a really scary thing.
Yep. This is sadly, only the beginning.
Weed can be a hell of a drug for people with a predisposition to mental illness. Her parents probably saw that the weed was exacerbating her symptoms.
you are partially right. it doesnt exactly make symptoms worse, but it does counter-act the effects of anti-depressants and some of the anti-anxiety medications as well
I’ve definitely seen weed make people worse, increase paranoia, etc in people who are unwell but not medicated. Not sure why you think interference with meds is the only thing weed does to people who are mentally unwell.
And I’m not against weed. I’m a smoker myself. But I’ve see what but can do firsthand to people who are untreated suffering from bipolar. Not good.
Yes Patricia. I’m a daily smoker myself and I while I think the negativity associated with weed is super overblown, I also acknowledge there are certain cases where weed can have negative effects, and mental illness is definitely one.
Her parents have a history of deep, deep denial. For a long time they stated that Amanda didn’t even drink alcohol (despite multiple DUIs) and it was only after photo after photo of Amanda smoking weed in her car, let alone the bong incident, have they even acknowledged that she does indeed smoke marijuana. After the first conservatorship they flat out denied that she could have any mental health disorders and instead said it was ALL weed induced. Deep denial.
This is quite sad. I hope she is getting the help she needs. There’s no sense in playing the blame game here. Just help her get well. At least I hope that she can get well.
i saw that tmz video clip from a few weeks ago of amanda in the airport shortly before the intervention and my heart broke for her.
incredibly sad how ill she seemed…
and i know that tmz is doing a job…but i felt terrible for her as they continued to egg her on, asking personal questions and exploiting her illness.
she’s just a kid…sigh…
I think someone with experience such as a a family lawyer with special knowledge of these matters or her doctor should be named co-conservator, someone who can step in and keep an eye on the situation and help make some of the hard choices her parents seem to have difficulty doing. I get that Amanda was likely the one who became non-compliant woth hwr medication but that was under the parents watch and that should not be forgotten by a judge. I actually don’t think them being conservator is a good idea as there must be some sort of trust and complete understanding of the medical diagnosis in order for the patient to comply with medical orders and I fear there is not that relationship with Amanda. Since her relationship with her relationship with both parents is strained, even though they dod the right thing. I think if Amanda were my patient (which she isn’t), I would advise her mum to consider moving out with Amanda into a temporary place until her relationship with her father can be mended. Schizophrenics, especially paranoid ones, don’t do well when they have to live close to the target of their paranoia especially if that relationship was strained pre-diagnosis. Schizo spectrum disorders will make a strained relationship that much worse.
I hope this girl receives the meds that can give her some sort of normalcy. Our society is so afraid of mental illness and the people it inhabits, we/they tend to shun those afflicted as if they are somehow responsible. Entertainment websites should back off on her instead of announcing in neon lights she has a 5150. Cancer gets pity, mental illness gets dust.
Sorry, but weed is partly to blame for her issues. Weed is known to bring out mental illness in people who are prone to things like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. I’m not saying weed is altogether bad, it has some good healing benefits, but there are certain people, like Amanda, who should not smoke it, much less any drugs or alcohol.
Weed can do these things in certain individuals if they already have schizophrenia. Weed may have been an I stigator but does not change the fact she has a episodic psychotic illness, most likely schizophrenia.
But there are actually studies that say that those who have a family history of mental illness like scizofrenoa increase their likely hood of getting it from 30% to 70%. Or along those lines. So it’s possible the weed was the instigator or trigger like you said. I meant weed brings out the mental illness at it effects the chemicals in the brain, but it alone isn’t a cause for schizophrenia
The study that you speak of was more or less disproven. It can be a factor and bring to light symptoms that may have been bubbling beneath the surface but it doesn’t outright cause scizophrenia. You can see a study done by Harvard University and VA Hospital.
I know that you’re not an attorney (although Harvey Levin is) but it kind of bugs me that the factual parts of this story are either partially or completely incorrect and thus give a different slant to the story. So… LPS is short for the Lanterman-Petris Short Act and it covers all of the involuntary holds beginning with the 72 hold aka 5150.
The next hold is for an additional 14 days beyond the 72 hours. It is not an extension and it’s under Section 5250 of the CA Welfare and Institution Code (WIC) and the criteria for the hold are different. Within 4 days after the shrinks decide that the 14 day hold is necessary, there must be a judicial hearing and the patient has the right to have his/her own attorney. There was no “secret” hearing. TMZ got the info when the court docs were filed. Until then they didn’t know there was a hearing.
The next hold is for an additional 30 days (WIC Section 5270) and again there is a judicial hearing with right to counsel and frankly the right to a habeas corpus hearing, During the 14 day period or the 30 period is when a request to have a conservator appointed would be filed with the court. If one is appointed then that person gets to make the decision as to the length of the hospital stay.
In other words, this is not the olden days when people were locked up for whatever reason and never heard from again. The court monitors every step of the process. The actions of conservators are also monitored by the court. There are periodic hearings where the conservator must provide relevant info to the court including disbursement of funds and proof that the conservatorship is still necessary.
Periodically there are stories about the amount of money Jamie Spears is spending. That’s because what he is doing is monitored by the court. In Britney’s case there are actually 2 conservators and the 2nd is an independent attorney appointed by the court. The stories about Jamie Spears spending money with no oversight are just not true.
I’m a bipolar attorney. When I was Amanda’s age my parents thought that I was just really moody. I sought help on my own and then my parents got involved. So yeah, parents don’t know everything. I’ve never been held or even hospitalized but I know that I can’t function without weekly therapy sessions and taking my meds. And I learned that the hard way…