21 March 2023 , 10:10
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Fans of Amanda Bynes have been showing their support for her online following the news about the former child star's latest mental health battle.
The Hairspray actress, 36, has been placed on psychiatric hold after she was found wandering the streets naked and alone, according to reports.
"The fact that Amanda Bynes flagged a car down, told them she was having a psychotic episode and called 911 herself actually gives me a lot of hope for her well-being," one Twitter user wrote as the news broke on Sunday night.
"That's a huge deal. When she's ready, I hope she can be proud of herself for that."
As the Nickelodeon legend begins her recovery we take a look at her life in the spotlight, her past struggles and how she became an idol to a generation of comedy lovers.
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Amanda Bynes during Nickelodeon's 16th Annual Kids' Choice Awards 2003 (Getty)EARLY SUCCESS
Over recent years Amanda's personal struggles have taken centre stage but there was once a time the star was best known for her career - with many crediting the actress with revolutionising teen movies and sketch shows for a younger audience.
The Californian actress was born on April 3 1986 and began professionally acting at age seven, eventually being spotted by a Nickelodeon producer before being cast by the network on the sketch comedy series All That.
At the age of 13, Amanda starred in the All That spin-off comedy The Amanda Show from 1999 to 2002 and went on to hit the big screen and appear in cult classics like She's The Man, Easy A, Hairspray and What a Girl Wants.
Amanda has been a famous face since she was a young child (Hulton)
The star was once a regular in huge movies and popular TV shows (PA Archive/Press Association Ima)RETIREMENT
While still a teenager, Amanda had already achieved success many can only dream of - winning multiple awards and amassing a legion of loyal fans.
But by her early twenties Amanda was done with the industry and announced her retirement from acting via Twitter in June 2010.
She wrote: "I know 24 is a young age to retire but you heard it here first I’ve #retired. I don’t love acting anymore so I’ve stopped doing it.
"If I don’t love something anymore I stop doing it. Being an actress isn’t as fun as it may seem."
Sadly, Amanda's retirement has been marred with her public struggles with mental health issues - with the actress going on to post concerning messages on social media and experience run-ins with the law over the next few years.
Concern for Amanda's wellbeing began in 2012, two years on from her retirement announcement (Flynet)
The former child star went on to have many run-ins with the police (Splash News)LEGAL ISSUES
In March 2012, Amanda is pulled over for allegedly chatting on her phone while driving then fleeing the scene. The following month, the star is arrested and charged with a misdemeanour driving under the influence (DUI) after getting into another scrap with a police car.
The year continues with more encounters with the police - including an incident in June that led to the comedy icon calling on then-President of the United States Barack Obama for some help.
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After being charged with driving under the influence - pleading not guilty - Amanda wrote on Twitter: "Hey @BarackObama... I don't drink. Please fire the cop who arrested me. I also don't hit and run. The end."
2012 continues to be littered with Amanda committing road offences, with the star eventually having her license suspended, and things sadly only get worse for the former actress.
WORRYING SOCIAL MEDIA ACTIVITY
Drake got an infamous shout out in one of Amanda's infamous tweets (Getty Images)
Amanda explained the tweet in a 2017 interview reflecting on her mental health battles (matteblackonlinestore/Instagram)2013 begins with Amanda taking to Twitter to share concerning posts, including selfies that saw the star strip off and show off her new facial cheek piercings.
The Nickelodeon icon also uses her Twitter account to publicly flirt with Drake, famously declaring: " I want Drake to murder my vagina."
"I actually wasn’t being insincere," Amanda said in an interview in 2017, referring to the tweet.
"I was saying, ‘murder my vagina.’ I was serious, but I was also on drugs. So that was my way of saying like, ‘Let’s do this, man.’ But I was on drugs and trying to be hilarious."
In April 2013, It's alleged she is kicked out of her members only gym for smoking marijuana in the toilets, but Amanda denies the accusations on Twitter and continues to spend the year posting snaps of her newly-shaved hair and topless selfies.
CONSERVATORSHIP
Amanda with her parents Rick and Lynn (Alpha)
The star showing off her face tattoo (Amanda Bynes/Instagram)Amanda's worrying behaviour eventually led to the star being placed under a conservatorship, a legal arrangement that gave the former actor’s mother control of her estate and personal affairs for nearly a decade.
The star filed a petition in February last year, with support from mum Lynn and her psychiatrist, to end the conservatorship she was placed under in 2013 after she was forcibly hospitalized on a psychiatric hold. A judge terminated Amanda's conservatorship the following month.
While under the conservatorship, Amanda worked on her sobriety, earned an associate degree from the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising and found love with on-off fiance Paul Michael.
In 2018, Amanda revealed she had been diagnosed "bipolar and manic depressive" and recalled how body image issues and drug abuse had "ruined" her life.
Amanda reunited with her ex-fiance last year, but their engagement is still believed to be off (@amandabynesreal /Instagram)"It definitely isn't fun when people diagnose you with what they think you are," Amanda told PAPER when looking back on the peak of her public battles.
"That was always really bothersome to me. If you deny anything and tell them what it actually is, they don't believe you. Truly, for me, [my behavior] was drug-induced, and whenever I got off of [drugs], I was always back to normal."
"I know that my behavior was so strange that people were just trying to grasp at straws for what was wrong."
Speaking as her conservatorship came to an end last year, Amanda shared her appreciation for her fans via a statement issued via People.
“Following today’s decision by the judge to terminate my conservatorship, I would like to thank my fans for their love and well wishes during this time. I would also like to thank my lawyer and my parents for their support over the last nine years," she said.
"In the last several years, I have been working hard to improve my health so that I can live and work independently, and I will continue to prioritize my wellbeing in this next chapter."
PSYCHIATRIC HOLD
A recent selfie of AmandaOver the weekend it was reported Amanda had been placed on psychiatric hold, after she was allegedly found wandering the streets naked and alone.
The 36-year-old actress is said to have been seen walking near downtown Los Angeles in the early hours of Sunday morning.
Amanda reportedly flagged down a passing car and told the driver that she was "coming down from a psychotic episode", before calling 911 for herself.
The Hairspray star was reportedly then taken to a nearby police station where a mental health team decided to place her on a 5150 psychiatric hold.
A 5150 is a legal action from the CA Welfare and Institutions Code which allows a qualified officer to confine someone against their will for 72 hours, though this can be extended.
During this time, the person will be fully assessed for their mental health status.
Amanda is said to be receiving treatment in hospital following the incident and will remain there for several days.
A source told TMZ that Amanda was not hurt during the ordeal.
*If you're struggling and need to talk, the Samaritans operate a free helpline open 24/7 on 116 123. Alternatively, you can email [email protected] or visit their site to find your local branch