Why Amanda Bynes Reportedly Checked Herself Into Inpatient Center After Living In Isolation

screenshot of Amanda Bynes in Easy A
(Image credit: Screen Gems)

It’s been a little over three months since Amanda Bynes was put under a psychiatric hold, having been seen walking naked in downtown Los Angeles and reportedly flagging down a driver and saying she was coming down from a psychotic episode. The All That actress spent time in an inpatient facility in March, before continuing to work on her mental health through an outpatient program while living in isolation. Now she’s apparently checked herself back into an inpatient center, and sources are explaining her alleged reasoning.

Amanda Bynes reportedly checked herself into an Orange County inpatient mental health treatment center in early July, per TMZ, after checking out of her outpatient facility about a week earlier. According to the news outlet, the actress felt she needed more help than she was getting from the outpatient program, and she wanted a more therapeutic place to say, rather than being alone at her Los Angeles apartment.  

The decision to seek treatment at the new facility was allegedly made by Amanda Bynes herself, seemingly proving that she’s committed to prioritizing her mental health. TMZ’s insiders also say that her previous treatment center recommended the Orange County facility to her, and after living in isolation following her exit from another inpatient facility a couple of months ago, the What a Girl Wants star likes that the new center provides social interaction, in addition to a medical team and therapists.

She’s reportedly taking part in daily therapy sessions and other activities to help her prepare to live without the round-the-clock care of the center’s doctors, and develop skills that she can use to lead a healthy life outside of the facility.

According to sources back in April, outpatient therapy was part of Amanda Bynes’ plan to work on her mental health, after disturbing details came out regarding her initial psychiatric hold — including that she’d apparently been living on the streets for days before contacting authorities, and had possibly hitchhiked to Hollywood after her car had been towed in Long Beach — 25 miles away, and 40 miles from the actress’ home.

However, living by herself may not have been the right thing for her at that time. Despite reports that she was doing a good job of continuing to work on herself through the outpatient program, Amanda Bynes allegedly had feelings of sadness and loneliness living in isolation, with no friends around her and having broken up with her fiancé Paul Michael earlier in the year. 

While the She’s the Man actress may have been living alone, she still had the support of some of her former co-stars. Amanda Bynes was supposed to reunite with her All That castmates back in March at 90s Con, and when she missed the event, Kel Mitchell sent love to her, saying they were praying for her and that she was “doing a lot better.”

We’re glad to hear that Amanda Bynes continues to be committed to her mental health, and we wish her the best in her ongoing journey. If you want to relive some of her most loved projects, some classic seasons of All That are available to stream with a Paramount+ subscription, and What a Girl Wants can be streamed by Max subscription holders. She’s the Man, meanwhile, is available with a Hulu subscription

Heidi Venable
Content Producer

Heidi Venable is a Content Producer for CinemaBlend, a mom of two and a hard-core '90s kid. She started freelancing for CinemaBlend in 2020 and officially came on board in 2021. Her job entails writing news stories and TV reactions from some of her favorite prime-time shows like Grey's Anatomy and The Bachelor. She graduated from Louisiana Tech University with a degree in Journalism and worked in the newspaper industry for almost two decades in multiple roles including Sports Editor, Page Designer and Online Editor. Unprovoked, will quote Friends in any situation. Thrives on New Orleans Saints football, The West Wing and taco trucks.