Amanda Bynes taken into custody by LAPD for mental health evaluation

Alexandra Del Rosario
·2 min read
52
Amanda Bynes with long wavy blonde hair poses for pictures in front of a blue backdrop
Amanda Bynes, pictured more than a decade ago, was detained over the weekend for a mental health evaluation. (Chris Pizzello / Associated Press)

Former child star Amanda Bynes was detained by Los Angeles police over the weekend for a mental health evaluation.

A law enforcement source with knowledge of the case confirmed to The Times that the actor was referred for evaluation and treatment, months after she was reportedly placed on a psychiatric hold.

The "All That" star-turned-fashion student was detained Saturday morning after police received a call from a woman who was in distress, TMZ reported. Bynes, 37, was taken to a police station where a medical unit performed an evaluation.

Read more: Cops called to Amanda Bynes' Van Nuys home over argument with her fiancé

The website also shared photos of Bynes in handcuffs accompanied by two officers who appear to direct her into one of the three police vehicles sent to her location.

A legal representative for Bynes did not immediately respond Monday to The Times' request for comment.

Bynes was reportedly placed on a psychiatric hold in March after walking through downtown Los Angeles without any clothes. She reportedly flagged down a car and called 911 on herself, according to TMZ.

Read more: Amanda Bynes' conservatorship ends: 'I have been working hard to improve my health'

She was reportedly released in April, however, a representative at the time told The Times that they were "not authorized to confirm."

Bynes, who rose to fame in the late ’90s and early aughts as a Nickelodeon star, has been open about her mental health, writing in 2014 that she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. In 2018, she told Paper magazine she also struggled with substance abuse.

In 2020, Bynes celebrated one year of sobriety, while also introducing her on-again, off-again fiancé, Paul Michael. Michael claimed in March that the actor had stopped taking her medication.

Read more: Hearing about bipolar disorder in the news or on social media? Here’s what you should know

Last year, a judge ended Bynes' nearly nine-year conservatorship, finding that the actor "has capacity [to] give informed consent to any form of medical treatment."

"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 well-being in this next chapter,” Bynes said in a statement to People in March 2022.

Times staff writer Richard Winton contributed to this report.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.