People on social media are objecting to the “disrespectful” coverage of Amanda Bynes’ latest mental health crisis, noting that she was “confident” enough to flag down a passing car in downtown Los Angeles, telling the motorist that she has a psychotic episode and calls 911 herself.
What fans see as a reprehensible spin on Bynes’ crisis apparently began with TMZ, who reported that the former Nickelodeon star – who has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder – “was placed in a psychiatric cell after wandering “naked and alone” near downtown Los Angeles early Sunday morning.
Musician and actor Erika Heidewald objected to the wording — “found naked and alone” and “placed” in psychiatric custody — saying such language “took away her agency.”
“She was able to recognize she was in psychosis, ask someone for help and call 911 herself,” Heidewald said in a series of tweets. “That is (expletively) impressive. …Amanda Bynes showed a really impressive level of self-awareness and dedication to her mental health.
i think it’s really disrespectful that the headlines say that amanda bynes was “found” naked and alone and “placed” in a mental institution – her agency has been lifted. she was able to recognize that she was in psychosis, ask someone for help, and call 911 herself. that’s damn impressive
— Erika Hersteria (@erikaheidewald) March 20, 2023
“Realizing you have an episode is HUGE,” another fan tweeted. “Pray for her and wish her a continued recovery.”
Bynes’ parents reportedly agree that her cry for help shows she’s made enough progress to take care of herself, enough to consider this crisis an “anomaly” and not a reason to put her in another conservatoire. to place. TMZ also reports that.
“We were told that her parents also took comfort in the fact that Amanda was self-aware enough to recognize she was in trouble, pull over a car for help, and call 911 herself,” according to TMZ.
Bynes’ ex-fiance, Paul Michael, said the crisis was likely a result of her not taking her meds. Michael, who said the two remain friends after they split in July, told page six: “She is off her meds, and she is still off her meds. She’s wild.”
Like Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan, 36-year-old Bynes is a one-time child star who became a Hollywood cautionary tale in the early 2000s. Her once promising career in hit movies like “She’s the Man” and “Hairspray” derailed as she entered her teens and early twenties, dealing with the pressures of massive fame and tabloid attention. In the early 2010s, she made headlines for her erratic behavior and arrests, including for drunk driving.
After being hospitalized in 2013, Bynes’ parents applied for a conservatorship, which was granted in 2014. Falling out of the spotlight, Bynes focused on earning a degree from the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising and learning to live independently.
A judge decided to terminate her conservatory in March 2022, People signed up. Through her attorney, Bynes thanked her fans, her attorney and her parents “for their support over the past nine years.”
“In recent years I have worked hard to improve my health so that I can live and work independently, and I will continue to prioritize my well-being in this next chapter,” Bynes said in a statement.
At the time, Bynes was reportedly “looking forward” to moving in with then-fiancee Michael, who proposed in February 2020.
In October, Bynes took to social media to announce another career move — that she was in cosmetology school, taking a course to become a certified nail technician, Yahoo reported.
But by October, Bynes and Michael had gone through a messy breakup, in which she publicly accused him of not “taking his meds,” relapsing on “crack cocaine,” and watching “mother-and-son porn,” Page reported. six.
Michael denied those allegations in an interview with Page Six Monday, saying he was the one who ended the relationship and left to “get my own place” and “set boundaries.” Despite her attempts to “shame” him, Michael said the two resumed a friendship.
It doesn’t look like Bynes was hurt during her episode this weekend, but she will likely stay in the hospital for several days, reports say. She was placed in a psychiatric prison, under Section 5150 of California’s Welfare and Institutions Code, which allows an adult who is experiencing a mental health crisis and is causing danger to themselves or others to be involuntarily detained for a 72-hour psychiatric hospitalization.
