Amanda Bynes Starts Fire, Gets Placed On 5150 Psych Hold

After months of denying she’s dealing with any kind of mental issues, Amanda Bynes is currently being held in Los Angeles on a 5150 psychiatric evaluation following a bizarre incident last night. Details are still fuzzy on some of the specifics, but apparently, Bynes started a fire on an elderly woman’s driveway in Thousand Oaks, California at around 9 PM. Why the hell she did this is unclear, but when officers arrived and questioned her about her motivations, they obviously weren’t buying what she was selling because they quickly transported her to a local hospital.

According to TMZ, Bynes was first spotted yesterday shopping at Bloomingdale’s in Santa Monica, California. She appeared a little disheveled, but in general, she apparently minded her own business. Four hours later, however, she was on this poor woman’s driveway starting a fire and behaving outlandishly. Obviously, it’s impossible to know the full facts from such an outside perspective, but when taken as merely a blow-by-blow timeline account, it certainly seems like she needs help immediately.

Bynes’ problems began more than a year ago when she was unexpectedly pulled over for a DUI. At the time, it was widely assumed the actress simply had a lapse in judgment and would get her act together, but within just a few short months, she’d been in numerous accidents and later, she began cultivating one of the strangest Twitter accounts in the entire world. Those closest to the actress have reportedly been pleading with her to get help for some time now, but an adult woman with resources can’t merely be forced into the hospital unless she gets really close to the edge. She flirted with it for months, but apparently, she finally got too close to the cliff last night and was picked up.

Bynes is a talented actress. She’s also a pretty likeable human being and has shown on many occasions that she’s worth employing. Unfortunately, she now hasn’t worked in years and clearly has more issues to deal with than just auditions. If all goes according to plan, however, she should be able to get back on the right track and start working regularly again. There’s no reason why anyone, no matter how rich, should retire in their twenties. Work, at its best, is simply too fulfilling to miss out on all of that for the majority of one’s life.

Pop Blend’s sincerest thoughts go out to Bynes and the doctors treating her during this time of need. Here’s to hoping she’s able to get the medication or therapy she needs and finds her way back to stability.