Amanda Bynes has been going through a lot lately as far as not talking to her parents to inappropriate sexual harassment towards the rapper Drake, to her posting half naked selfies on twitter.
But whats really the reason behind this Bad Girl behavior?
Dr. Adi Jaffe, Director of Research at Alternatives, were asked multiple questions concerning Miz Bynes’ behavior.
What are your thoughts on Amanda Bynes’ recent erratic behavior?
“I think Amanda’s recent behavior is the result of either typical adolescent boundary testing or the manifestation of some underlying trouble that has either been hidden from view or is just beginning to manifest.”
Is this behavior common in addicts? If so, what kind of treatment would you recommend?
“Erratic behavior in general is common among addicts but also among those who have suffered from recent trauma or from an underlying mental health condition such as bipolar disorder, ADHD, schizophrenia, and more.”
There’s been reports of her using weed, but there seems to be more to the story. Do you think she’s abusing any other kind of drug?
“Firstly, some users of marijuana can have extreme reactions to that drug alone (note that the famous Miami “face-eater” who was assumed to have been consuming bath salts ended up testing positive only for marijuana). It would be essentially impossible for me to guess whether Amanda is using any other drugs.”
Reportedly, Amanda’s parents want to put her in a psychiatric hospital. Do you think this would help her?
“I think that at this point some intensive evaluation would help. This could be provided in an inpatient psychiatric hospital or on an outpatient basis. Either way, I think it would help resolve the question of what exactly might be going on.”
How do you feel about Amanda’s substance abuse possibly being an indicator of more serious mental health issues?
“Mental health issues are very common among people who abuse substances of all kinds. At times the substance use itself is a form of ‘self-medication’ in which the individual is trying to resolve underlying issues by themselves, sometimes because they haven’t been made aware that there might be another explanation or because they’re ashamed to ask for help.”
What can her family and friends do to prevent her from spiraling even further out of control?
“The first thing we do at Alternatives when clients come in is talk to them about their impressions regarding how their life is going and their expectation of where they would like for it to go. Sometimes, just having that simple conversation with someone can reveal a lot about what is going on underneath the surface.”
Amanda’s been denying a lot of her issues (saying the bong was a vase, that the InTouch photos were doctored, etc.), do you think she’s trying to cover up her problems or that she just isn’t in the right mind frame?
“Mental health and drug abuse and addiction issues are some of the most stigmatized conditions in our society. It is rare for someone to come out and outright admit to them unless they’ve already been explicitly discovered or are in the process of getting help. It’s much less difficult to say “I’m on a diet” than it is to admit that
“I have an addiction to ‘blank’ ” or “I am bipolar.” People don’t look at you the same after those latter two statements. By treating those with drug or mental-health issues this way we make it harder for them to seek help early on in the process.”
