Actress Amanda Bynes has reportedly been placed on involuntary psychiatric hold by police once again. Bynes has a history of mental health struggles and she was hospitalized earlier this year – on the very same weekend she was meant to make her return to the spotlight. According to a report by TMZ, Bynes was detained by police on Saturday and will be held for a psychiatric evaluation.
The Los Angeles Police Department reportedly responded to a 911 call from a woman in distress on Saturday morning. When they responded, they discovered it was Bynes, and based on her condition they decided to take her back to the police station. There, a medical unit evaluated the 37-year-old actress and decided that she should be held for further examination. They placed Bynes on a “5150 hold,” which allows police to detain a person for up to 72 hours during a mental health crisis that might make them a danger to themselves or to others.
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The positive side of this story is that Bynes called the police herself, and was described as “calm” during the proceedings. One witness told TMZ that she seemed “defeated,” while a source close to Bynes told Entertainment Tonight that the actress has been trying her best to take care of herself. Sadly, they said Bynes has been “inconsistent” with taking her medication.
“Amanda was doing better recently and trying her best to take care of herself. She has been making an effort to go to AA meetings, trying to hang out with sober people, and she looked good. The only problem is she is inconsistent about taking her medication, which causes issues,” they said. “When Amanda was admitted to a mental facility a few months ago, things weren’t going as well for her. She was very distressed, concerned about her past and reputation, surrounding herself with the wrong people who were bad influences, and not taking her medication.”
Bynes has been making great strides with her mental health in recent years, with her conservatorship ending in 2022. She even planned to make a return to the public eye back in March at ’90s Con, but that weekend she was hospitalized for another mental health crisis. Bynes reportedly stayed there for three weeks at the time and continued to attend outpatient treatment afterward. It’s not clear what her treatment plan will look like after Saturday’s arrest.