INQUISITR.COM / Entertainment

Amanda Bynes Forced Into Psychiatric Hospital – Schizophrenia Diagnosis Considered

By Scott Falkner
Published on: 12:21 PST, Oct 11, 2014

It’s been a very strange week for Amanda Bynes. Following reports of shoplifting and extremely odd behavior in New York last week, 28 year-old Bynes peaked out her strangest behavior yet yesterday on Twitter when she accused her father of physical, sexual, and verbal abuse. Though Amanda has since retracted that tweet, she did so in a rather odd way.

Later in the day, members of Amanda Bynes’ family reacted to the tweet in defense of Amanda’s father, Rick Bynes.

Lynn Bynes released a statement through the family’s lawyer to E! Online.

“I am heartbroken today for my husband of 47 years. Rick has been the best father and husband a family can ask for. He has never abused Amanda or our other children physically or sexually. These accusations are absolutely horrible and could not be further from the truth! These allegations stem from Amanda’s mental state at the moment. They have no basis in reality. It saddens me beyond belief that my husband’s character could be slandered in such a way.”

Amanda Bynes landed in Los Angeles yesterday, under the impression that she was going to meet with her parents and some lawyers. Instead, Bynes was driven to Las Encinas, a hospital in Pasadena, California that specializes in treatment for patients with psychiatric, chemical dependency, or co-occurring disorders. The LA Times reports that Amanda has been placed on an involuntary hold in the facility, where they can force her to stay for 72 hours. At the end of the 72 hours, the doctors can extend the psychiatric hold for up to two weeks if they deem further hospitalization is required.

While one immediately conjures visions of straight-jackets and rubber rooms, experts cite that on paper, Amanda Bynes’ behavior sounds very much like a result of schizophrenia.

Schizophrenia is defined as a mental disorder often characterized by abnormal social behavior and a failure to recognize what is real. Additional conditions, including major depression and anxiety disorders, often also “piggyback” schizophrenia.

Considering Amanda Bynes’ most recent tweets, a schizophrenia diagnosis doesn’t seem that far off the mark on paper.

The Las Encinas facility where Amanda Bynes was taken treats both psychological disorders and substance abuse, and over 50 percent of all schizophrenia sufferers have some sort of chemical dependency issue, especially before their mental illness is diagnosed.

According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, diagnosing schizophrenia is not easy. Part of the problem is that so many symptoms of schizophrenia are the same symptoms for other things such as bipolar disorder and brain tumors. Another big problem in the diagnosis of schizophrenia is that those suffering it often don’t believe they have the disease.

The important thing when it comes to diagnosing the disease is catching it early, as it tends to progress in the same way cancer does, getting worse over time. If Amanda Bynes is diagnosed with schizophrenia, the extent of her odd behavior may be an indicator that the actress has had the disease for some time, and her DUI charges over the last few years could be a result of Bynes self-medicating.

Once schizophrenia is diagnosed, it can often be treated with antipsychotic medication, counseling, and therapy, but if Amanda Bynes is diagnosed with schizophrenia, she has a long road ahead of her to wellness.

images via Latin Post and Sodahead

Share this article: Amanda Bynes Forced Into Psychiatric Hospital – Schizophrenia Diagnosis Considered
amanda bynes
More from Inquisitr