Amanda Bynes

[CorruptionInc.]

The more we see on the news...

... People blame drugs but she also has a serious illness that shouldn't be overlooked.

What do the people of FJ think is going on?

[acheronbeach]

She is a diagnosed schizophrenic. Until recently, her parents were in denial (publicly at least). She began living alone again.

[formergothardite]

I think she has a serious mental illness and hopefully can get the help she needs to get her life back on track. It is a very sad situation.

[browncoatslytherin]

schizophrenia can manifest in different ways and can sometimes mimic what people think of when they think of drug abusers, even while they're not high.

some schizophrenics can also start self-medicating with illicit substances instead of sticking to prescribed medication, which only makes things worse.

[Katie_Bug]

She is a diagnosed schizophrenic. Until recently, her parents were in denial (publicly at least). She began living alone again.

I thought they had conservatorship? Did they give that up? This case is sad all around.

[TXGirlInAMaterialWorld]

A very sad case- I feel awful for this young girl and hope that she gets the help she needs.

[CorruptionInc.]

schizophrenia can manifest in different ways and can sometimes mimic what people think of when they think of drug abusers, even while they're not high.

Exactly. We have seen her smoke joints and bongs; but we don't know if she's on anything else.You never really know the truth with the media.

[keen23]

It reminds me so much of when Britney Spears went off the rails and shaved her head, back in 2007.

[Shirley Blest]

She could quite possibly have a co-occurring disorder...I would guess substance abuse and schizoaffective disorder.

[Shirley Blest]

She could be self medicating her schizoaffective disorder with drugs or alcohol...but that is rarely a good idea, like never a good idea!

I am a nurse manager of a co-occurring substance abuse detox and treatment facility. We see A LOT of this...most people have had some trauma in the past, self medicate, numb the pain, get hooked, wreck their lives, have kids, wreck their lives, CPS all up in their ass, it's just a hot mess and so incredibly sad...

[Mabel]

It might be just a rumor, but I heard her parents took her off the medication she was taking. If so I hope she can get the medication she needs and gets her life back in order. I feel so bad for her to be in the spotlight, and people not understanding what is really going on.

[CallmeChaCha]

I thought her publicist released a statement saying she does not have schizophrenia. It's quite possible the publicist lied but it's also possible the schizophrenia diagnosis is just a rumor started and/or fueled by the media. She has issues, that seems to be true, but what those issues are I don't know.

It is a sad case. I hope she gets the help she needs.

[MichellezBangz]

This is so sad. I read that the supposed diagnosis is schizophrenia and bipolar disorder (HIPPA laws probably being violated left & right). If she was predisposed to mental illness, smoking pot as a teen/young adult was the worst thing she could do schizophrenia-wise.

Last year, she appeared to have coke-bloat face. I don't see that right now. Hope there's no adderall involved. She already seems manic.

I hope she will adhere to treatment. I hope her parents weren't the ones who told her she didn't need meds! It can be very hard for a person (the sufferer and the family) to accept their illness. I hope she can come to terms with whatever is going on with her and comply with her treatment program. :(

[CorruptionInc.]

It reminds me so much of when Britney Spears went off the rails and shaved her head, back in 2007.

Ironic that she has the same manager now who was the manager of Britney Spears when she had her breakdown?

Also, I could just be sleepy or imagining things, but I do believe Amanda Bynes shaved off all her hair too...

[bluebird]

The types of meds prescribed for serious mental illness can have horrible side effects which can cause the person to become non-compliant taking them so... they self medicate with other substances and end up deteriorating like crazy. Supposing she is mentally ill with schizophrenia and is med compliant (or not) she is going to have periodic hospitalizations. She needs privacy and dignity no matter what her problem is. I have a brother who has had schizo- affective disorder for over 20 years. I sometimes really hate the media since they tend to "expose" those with highly personal mental health disorders (to the delight of the public) instead of taking an ethical path and taking the time to educate the public about such illnesses.

[FreeHannie!]

Whatever is happening, I sincerely hope she is getting the professional help and support she needs.

[DGayle]

The mom of one of my best friends used to babysit Amanda before she was famous, and she was a regular little kid. My friend and her mom are estranged now (friend left Jehovah's Witnessing, mom disfellowshipped her until she returns to the cult), so can't ask about what her parents were like, and my friend doesn't know.

I've read reports that kids who end up spending chunks of their childhood famous are more likely to become mentally ill. Normal real life and their idea of normal don't work well when you start to fall from the spot light, or you reach a point of having to go be part of the real world. Imagine being in a point where you think the world adores you, doors open just because you're walking up to one, fans bow at your feet, fame, fortune, no responsibility for your actions, and then on a magical day, you find out you're just another person, the doormen aren't rushing to hold the door for less-famous you, people aren't falling over themselves for your autograph, you're just becoming a regular person who probably has more money, but still just not a big deal. That could be hard and confusing and screw you up.

Mara Wilson wrote an article on this. http://www.cracked.com/blog/7-reasons-c ... rspective/ It makes sense that a lot of former stars who are starting to be overlooked are cracking up.

[FJismyheadship]

The mom of one of my best friends used to babysit Amanda before she was famous, and she was a regular little kid. My friend and her mom are estranged now (friend left Jehovah's Witnessing, mom disfellowshipped her until she returns to the cult), so can't ask about what her parents were like, and my friend doesn't know.

I've read reports that kids who end up spending chunks of their childhood famous are more likely to become mentally ill. Normal real life and their idea of normal don't work well when you start to fall from the spot light, or you reach a point of having to go be part of the real world. Imagine being in a point where you think the world adores you, doors open just because you're walking up to one, fans bow at your feet, fame, fortune, no responsibility for your actions, and then on a magical day, you find out you're just another person, the doormen aren't rushing to hold the door for less-famous you, people aren't falling over themselves for your autograph, you're just becoming a regular person who probably has more money, but still just not a big deal. That could be hard and confusing and screw you up.

Mara Wilson wrote an article on this. http://www.cracked.com/blog/7-reasons-c ... rspective/ It makes sense that a lot of former stars who are starting to be overlooked are cracking up.

I LURVE Mara Wilson, and always have.

So if she is schizophrenic, is this something that you always have, or does it manifest itself later in life? I am trying to understand this.

[happy atheist]

I LURVE Mara Wilson, and always have.

So if she is schizophrenic, is this something that you always have, or does it manifest itself later in life? I am trying to understand this.

I believe that schizophrenia is something that tends to manifest in the late teens/early 20s.

[DGayle]

I believe that schizophrenia is something that tends to manifest in the late teens/early 20s.

Doctors aren't entirely sure yet, but they think it's a combination of genetic and environments. Dopamine and glutamate have been connected with it, which makes even more sense in the celeb industry. If you're genetically predisposed to schizo, and spend tons and tons of time getting adoration and praise and screaming fans making you feel like a demigod, that's a lot of dopamine your brain's going to have, and a lot of glutamate to help. Take away the praise when you go on the outs, and into a life you don't understand since being able to go to the store without being worshipped is new and strange and you feel unimportant, and you're going to have a dopamine crash. This really makes sense when you look at hoe many famous people crack up then the spotlight moves on, especially celebs who were famous as kids and don't know anything else.

[browncoatslytherin]

Doctors aren't entirely sure yet, but they think it's a combination of genetic and environments. Dopamine and glutamate have been connected with it, which makes even more sense in the celeb industry. If you're genetically predisposed to schizo, and spend tons and tons of time getting adoration and praise and screaming fans making you feel like a demigod, that's a lot of dopamine your brain's going to have, and a lot of glutamate to help. Take away the praise when you go on the outs, and into a life you don't understand since being able to go to the store without being worshipped is new and strange and you feel unimportant, and you're going to have a dopamine crash. This really makes sense when you look at hoe many famous people crack up then the spotlight moves on, especially celebs who were famous as kids and don't know anything else.

childhood-onset schizophrenia is rare, but can still occur. i caught the documentary "born schizophrenic" about january schofield, and i highly recommend it for anyone who's interested.

i was diagnosed several years ago. we have a pretty heavy history of mental illness in my family, so it's no doubt genetic, on some level, for us.

[dairyfreelife]

I don't know the genetics, but mental illness seems to have a mix of nature and nurture. However, childhood schizophrenia is very, very rare. Most of the time it shows up in teens and young adults. I have a friend with a brother who has schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. He changed after hitting puberty and goes through periodic hospitalizations because he stops his meds. He cannot live on his own. He was unable to complete high school. Before the illness, he was a straight A bookworm who had amazing potential. After it struck, his functioning slowly stopped, grades dropped, all the potential gone. It is a very sad situation. I hope AB gets the help she needs.

[shedemei]

Doctors aren't entirely sure yet, but they think it's a combination of genetic and environments. Dopamine and glutamate have been connected with it, which makes even more sense in the celeb industry. If you're genetically predisposed to schizo, and spend tons and tons of time getting adoration and praise and screaming fans making you feel like a demigod, that's a lot of dopamine your brain's going to have, and a lot of glutamate to help. Take away the praise when you go on the outs, and into a life you don't understand since being able to go to the store without being worshipped is new and strange and you feel unimportant, and you're going to have a dopamine crash.

I just wanted to add on to this. Trauma is also thought to cause the same reaction. I have a schizophrenic cousin who became ill in her early 30s. It started when one of her younger siblings, with whom she was *extremely* close, died at a young age.

I've wondered if she would have been fine if that hadn't happened.

[calimojo]

it is all brain chemistry and likely genetic predisposition for 90% of schizophrenics. Drug use can induce it, especially hallucinogenics pr stimulants like meth, as they re-wire the brain chemistry and yes, a trauma could as well. Trauma or stress alter our body's chemistry. High blood pressure is an example of stress affecting our body. And that can happen to any system, including the brain.

the typical onset age for Schizophrenia is early adulthood, with men in the late teens or early 20's and women in the early to mid 20's. People can have an onset later than that of course, but this is the typical time. Schizophrenia is not curable, and in most cases it is degenerative, meaning it will tend to get worse over time. However, after Middle age, most symptoms will start to become less acute.

Some people have excellent response to medications, and with therapy aimed at daily coping skills, can have their symptoms successfully controlled and may be able to function very well in their life. Some people will have a harder time finding meds that work for them and they will have a difficult life of symptoms getting worse and worse, possibly mixed in with some periods of stability here and there.

Not all Schizophrenics are outwardly disturbed, and many are gentle and not violent or prone to violence. In fact, they are more likely to be a victim of violence than to commit violence. Many of them can learn daily strategies to get through their day so as to minimize the often outward "Strange" behavior that can attract a lot of negative attention. They can learn to tips to test reality to help discern between hallucinations and delusions and they can often function well in certain jobs. Typically schizophrenics are intelligent and may have even been more academic than their peers.

Amanda may be bi-polar with psychotic features when she is in the manic phase. She seems to fit this more than schizophrenic, but who knows. Just like other health problems, many people with mental illness have more than one diagnosis.

My understanding was her parents were the ones who denied her mental illness and when she seemed better, let her stop her meds and go live on her own. I do wonder, given her anger towards her father, if she is physically threatening to them, and maybe they don't feel safe having her in their home. Her parents look somewhat frail to me.

Denial is common in families with mentally ill children, and if the children seem to get well, it is easy for the family to just think it was a one time thing. I don't know the Bynes family obviously, but I hesitate to be too hard on them yet because their denial is pretty normal. If this wasn't a celebrity situation, it might take several episodes before the family would even admit it was a problem. We have no idea what their family background is. In some families, Mental Illness is really a shameful thing and is kept hidden from view. If this is how it is for them, it is going to take awhile for them to learn how to cope with this.

None of us would ever want to think our kids are mentally ill because we know what a struggle that is. So it doesn't take much to convince yourself that they are going to be ok, and it was just a fluke.