Here are some photos of Amanda Bynes at LAX on Friday. She flew from NYC to LA, and the whole thing was chaos. Let’s do this chronologically. Last week, Amanda was on a hard downward spiral. It was disturbing and sad to see how unwell she was and how it seemed like no one was taking care of her or could take care of her. On Friday, she went on a Twitter rant about her father and how he abused her and tried to have sex with her. Then shortly after her Twitter rant, her mother issued a statement saying that none of Amanda’s claims were true. Then Amanda tweeted this: “My dad never did any of those things The microchip in my brain made me say those things but he’s the one that ordered them to microchip me.”
So, some stuff happened behind the scenes and Amanda got on a plane in NYC and headed for LA. Her parents live in California and Amanda was 5150’d in California last year. And that’s what happened again.
Amanda Bynes just arrived in L.A. and went directly to a hospital outside L.A. … where doctors placed her on an involuntary psychiatric hold. We’re told Amanda thought a car service was taking her to The London Hotel where her parents and their attorney were going to meet her. In fact the parents had made arrangements with the car service to take her to a Pasadena hospital instead … where their lawyer, Tamar Arminak, was waiting with doctors.
We’re told doctors placed her on a 5150 psychiatric hold, where she will be held for 72 hours. That hold can be extended for 14 days, and we’re told during that time there will be a move to get another conservatorship.
That escalated quickly, didn’t it? Amanda went from a locked-down conservatorship, to her conservatorship being lifted in September, to a full-blown mental breakdown and another 5150 psych hold within the span of, like, six weeks. And Amanda’s last tweet before she boarded the plane was to Sam Lufti, the same sketchball that was dealing with Britney Spears during Brit’s mental breakdown.
you feel like a brother to me @SamLutfi i mean it. Thank you luuuuv
— amanda bynes (@amandabynes) October 10, 2014
TMZ’s sources claim that Lufti was actually working with Amanda’s parents the whole time. He contacted Amanda and convinced her to fly to LA so they could meet with some lawyers about suing her parents. Are we supposed to believe he’s suddenly a good guy? Because I have significant doubts about that. Still, I’m glad Amanda is getting some help. Maybe now her parents will actually acknowledge that Amanda’s problems aren’t just marijuana-related.
Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet.
My guess is that Lutfi got paid to trick her back. I doubt it was completely altruistic. That being said, I’m just glad she’s locked down regardless of how it happened
He’s someone that does things for himself. That’s how it appears anyway. Nothing is a selfless act.
And yea. Thank goodness she’s being evaluated again. Talk about outside and internal forces manipulating your behavior beyond your own control is not healthy.
So sad. I never followed her career or something, but it’s really sad that she’s ill and accusing her parents. What a horrible situation for her family.
Thank gawd. I thought I was going to have to fly to NYC to help her out (the microchip in my brain suggested it).
This girl is profoundly ill and jokes are not appropriate.
With Steph Smee.
This can be a place for jokes. It just seems like poor taste now. She’s so unwell and that so clear. She needs help.
Although, jokes are often made here to people in situations where the person isn’t well so it might just go by majority rule. In this case majority is against jokes.
I wonder why people rarely make jokes about celebs with cancer, or celebs with Parkinson,MS,ALS? Do you have a good ALS joke @SMEE?
Yes. I remember how bright and witty she was on the Amanda show. Something happened to this girl. I hope she finds the healing she deserves. Not a joke to see someone self-destruct.
Kim1
Why must you make this a personal attack? Keep it civil or you’re exactly what you accuse other people of being.
How do you know smee is joking?
Oh, please. I’ve got a “mental disorder,” albeit not as serious as Amanda’s, but I laughed. There’s always room for humor. If you can’t find humor in situations, what’s the point?
Whats the point of *what*, KB? What do you mean?
@Jamie I mean what’s the point of life, of dealing with all the bad things, if we can’t find humor in the darkness? I don’t think anything should be “off limits” to joke about. I don’t really like “shock humor,” but I’m not going to tell another person what they can laugh about.
@Kim1 The Michael J Fox Show had several jokes about Parkinson’s. As did The Good Wife and Curb Your Enthusiasm when he guest starred. Ted had a joke about ALS, and Jonathan Katz has made jokes about his MS. I’ve heard several jokes about Lance Armstrong having one testicle and The Big C had jokes about cancer, as well.
FLORC, I’m breaking my self-imposed exile (which was successful for about a month because gossip I need it) to compliment you on how you always want to keep things fair and positive. I always appreciate and enjoy your approach and your comments.
And smee, I thought you were coming from a place of caring with humor. Nothin’ wrong with that.
When I was a kid, laughing about our tragedies was the only thing that kept us halfway sane. It was a gentle joke, very appropriate to me.
Did it also suggest making a comment that exploits a person with a mental illness to make you appear ‘funny’?
Good point, fluff! The threads on Lohan make me cringe. And every time, I wonder what will be said if/when she dies an early death from drugs, alcohol poisoning, or the violence of some man taking advantage of her incoherent state…how funny will it be then?
I no longer visit the Lohan threads. Last time I did, posters were pretending to have cocktails, and discussed gleefully Lindsay’s death by OD date. You would think they were discussing a football pool.
I’m sorry but there is no need to become so PC about when and how humor is appropriate. I laughed when watching Amanda twerking her bony a** on her security guard. It was funny. That does not mean that I ALSO did not feel sympathy for her. Two sets of feelings can co-exist. We’re all pointing at the ‘freak’ with every comment on her behavior, even the ones that are layered with sanctimony. If we really cared about her, we would not watch the video or comment on it. But the spectacle is irresistible so we all watch. And then, because we feel badly for watching, we get all sanctimonious and holier-than-thou in our comments. Please.
Uh, personally if there is anything to be politically correct about it’s mental illness. Things in which they can’t help. Saying you have to find humor in it just sounds like a way to justify your laughter or finding humor in the actions those that are mentally ill make.
I’m also unaware of what video you’re talking about.
LOL!!
make jokes if you want to. it’s not your fault these people have no sense of humor.
I hope she gets the help she needs, poor girl.
My sentiments exactly.
Same here. I think life will always be a struggle for her but I hope she can get to a healthier, happier place.
As much as I hope she gets the help she needs, I feel such empathy for her parents. They are an older couple (the dad is a dentist, I believe) and probably hoped to be living the golden years with some sense of peace. But that is not possible with a daughter who is so obviously ill. I had a boyfriend with serious mental illness and I hung in there for five years after which I had a heart to heart with The Alliance for the Mentally Ill about not being able to continue. They were incredibly understanding and even suggested that for my own mental health I needed to move on. Fast forward to now and my current love has a son who is an alcoholic with obvious mental issues (his mother is bi-polar) that he absolutely refuses to seek help for. He has been put under involuntary holds a couple of times after threatening suicide. The continued alcohol abuse has caused violent seizures and he is now considered an epileptic. Last year he had a seizure with heat stroke and needed to be placed in a medically induced coma. The docs told mom and dad to prepare for the worst….but strong kid that he is, he pulled out with absolutely no organ damage. But after several months he started drinking again and having seizures. I watch this young man’s parents suffer so terribly. I have no kids so it is easy for me to say “tough love” but these two parents’ souls are breaking. I’ve seen it. I’ve lived it. I know that without intervention, there will be no happy ending. So……my heart aches for Amanda’s parents.
Thanks for sharing your story, MyCatLovesTV. Your partner must be experiencing such a hard time and I wish you all the best.
I’ve often thought about Amanda’s parents too. A lot of folks seem to want to blame them by saying that they don’t seem to care about Amanda and that they refuse to acknowledge that their daughter has a mental illness etc. As parents, it must be so hard for them to see how mentally unstable Amanda is and at the same time, know that Amanda’s words and actions are being broadcast to the world as tabloid and gossip fodder.
MYCAT I hope you’ll read the comments about Amanda’s parents further down this thread. Some parents are like the ones you describe, but some are not. I have little sympathy for these two. They sold out Amanda when she was a child. It’s possible they started a pattern of denying things that little Amanda tried to tell them way back then. Denial seems to be their first response. The mother also seems to care a lot about appearances. She would not even acknowledge that Amanda had mental problems and tried to blame weed. When Amanda said the father molested her, the mother quickly issued a statement saying she was lying. We don’t know if Amanda was lying or not but she is clearly confused. Publicly calling her a liar was not needed and is not going to help their relationship.
I’ll take your advice and keep reading. For the good parents and loving parents, watching a child who was once a driven straight A student go down the rabbit hole of addiction and mental illness, the agony is almost too painful to endure. If I could only wave a magic wand and fix everything……
====
Just read more about the parents. Don’t know if that is all true but if so, they are horrible. I think too many Hollywood parents with stars in their eyes try to make money off the backs (and other body parts) of their poor children. Job number one is to protect your child…..a job many fail at miserably. Still…even if they did sell out their daughter, I cannot help but believe that they never in a million years expected this. Mental illness is a nightmare for both the patient and those who love him/her from which they cannot awake. As a country, we are not caring for our mentally ill the way we should. I wish I had an answer, any answer.
What’s the connection between Amanda & Lutfi..?
The connection is that he’s a sleezeball who preys on mentally unfit young women who have money and fame so they can become his sugar mommas. He’s a repulsive turd who needs to disappear down a giant hole.
He always finds his way into the life of someone struggling with mental illness and drugs. He’s a pap and opportunist.
He’s a handler aka abuser.
Calling him a handler and abuser is a bridge too far. It leads 1 to assume things that cannot be confirmed.
I think his reaction to being forced out of Britney’s life was proof he was used to having an abusive kind of control over her. He was way too angry when he got cut out. He lashed out like an abuser would have.
Who or what is a lufti? Is that like an Islamic Mufti or something?
his name is Lutfi (T before F)…the arabic origin (or radical) comes from latafa, meaning “kindness”…..(how INappropriate)
She looks frighteningly thin in these pictures, like she dropped weight quickly and is dehydrated.
Oh, I do so hope that this time she gets the right help and support that she needs!
I was thinking the same about her weight.
I noticed that when she’s not in the best place, mentally speaking, she loses weight and gets long blonde extensions – and starts talking about being thin & getting plastic surgery. She looks exactly like she did last year before she went in the hospital and said some of the same things about being thin & pretty. Her delusional mind must take her back to the same place. It’s sad but also shines a light on what a struggle it must be to fight this illness. Be well Amanda.
so – she is sober? i always thought it was drugs/alcohol – I know people who act like that drunk. but sober? yikes, scarey
It is mental illness. Have you never known anyone with a mental illness? How fortunate for you.
She was placed on an involuntary psychiatric hold. They don’t do that for addiction, they would send her to rehab.
I noticed quite a few news outlets referred to the 5150 hold and then called the mental health facility “rehab”. It’s amazing how uninformed people are about mental illness. What is she rehabbing? Her mind?
Well, she’s been in NY and so the team of doctors in CA have no way of knowing whether she’s been under the influence of anything. Sounds like they locked her down immediately without drug testing – which seems reasonable based on her behavior, and besides she obviously would not consent to drug testing given a choice.
I’ve been wondering, too, if she actually exhibited this behavior during times she was clean, like during her first time in the psych hospital and rehab. If she did, I don’t see how her parents could claim that all her problems were drug related.
Abby: My guess is Yes, she did show these symptoms when she was clean or else the doctors wouldn’t have been able to get her committed to the mental health ward for as long as she was. As far as her parents, it’s called denial. My aunt & uncle are in denial about my cousin’s horrible bipolar illness. It makes me sooo mad how they can dismiss a disease that is ruining a life & act like nothing is wrong.
izzy – calm down I was just expressing my surprise, and no -I am NOT an expert in mental illness, that’s why I asked. No need to be such a snot!
@Izzy
“She was placed on an involuntary psychiatric hold. They don’t do that for addiction, they would send her to rehab.”
Mischa Barton was put on it a few years back and she said herself she was addicted to pills & had them prescribed for a tooth extraction and had a breakdown when her family tried to have an intervention while she was high as a kite
Also, articles on her recent DUI mention she was on Adderall which she is taking for her ADHD (like Paris, and Lohan… NOT buying it). I believe she’s taking way more than even a person with ADHD should be taking to lose weight (like Lohan). Adderall in high doses causes psychosis.
She might be drinking and doing drugs ,but because she’s mentally ill it only makes her condition worse.
she sounds perfectly sober on the TMZ video – that’s why I was surprised. It’s sad – I feel for her parents and her – to have this play out so publicly/globally.
She does seem lucid in that video ,but there are definitely some signs that she’s off. She’s almost standing in the street and the guy is telling her to get out of the street. Then at the end she says something about wanting to be like Marilyn Monroe. That video is very hard to watch.
Oh I’m sure she exhibited signs while she was clean, her parents are in denial and want to be able to blame her problems on drugs. They dont put people on 5150 holds and under conservatorship for addiction. Remember her dads reaction the first time she was busted for DUI? “My daughter is a good kid, she doesn’t drink.”
Not to mention that to be put under an involuntary conservatorship in California you have to be PROFOUNDLY mentally impaired.
Her abuse of substances (if there is substance abuse) is a symptom of her mental illness, not the cause of it. She is scary unwell, I hope she gets serious help, not serious Hollywood help.
Actually mental illness and substance abuse often go together. People may try to self-medicate with illicit drugs, or with young people prone to a given mental disorder, certain illicit drugs may actually trigger or worsen it. In some cases it may be necessary to treat the substance issue before it’s possible to address the mental health issue.
I don’t know Bynes’ situation, but it’s more often the case that those two health problems go together than that they exist one without the other.
I thought that was a picture of Beyonce in the header pic..Second time this has happened. Jennifer/Iggy not Beyonce/Amanda.
I guess I need my eyes checked.
*************
I had a very good friend I grew up with who has very similar issues like Amanda. She was a college grad.. Masters degree; good job, smart.. then mental health issues hit. She had always had some small signs being paranoid; but you just brush it off. She went down over the years. Losing her job, living in squallier. It is beyond reason how it happens and how it is out of your control. it hurts but you know you can’t really help them until they want the help; but their mental illness doesn’t leave much of a door for that help to reach them.
I feel so sad for her family and her. I think it is so horrible that the world is watching her unfold like a TV show. There should be some law against televising all of the.
lisa2
Maybe the only reason Amanada is getting help and displaying her illness in such a public way.
Because of this public attention she’s taken to social media and ranting. That’s evidence that can be used to help her later. It removes all doubt that she really needs help.
Amanda is actively seeking out attention and paps. There’s no realistic way her antics wouldn’t be shared with the world. And it’s a blessing for her it has been shared. That’s how she’s getting the help she needs. Help that may not have come about if the public didn’t know what she was going through.
lisa2 said: you can’t really help them until they want the help
WRONG. That is for addicts. Mental health issues like schizophrenia and bipolar are not addictions. People want help but when they are in a paranoid or delusional state they sometimes don’t even know it so they’re not going to ask for help bc they don’t realize something is wrong. Nobody WANTS to be mentally unfit.
emmie_a that’s not entirely true.
Thoe who suffer from mental illnesses sometimes are very aware of their illness. They might see it as a creative outlet. Many artists in history that had mental illnesses refused to get help because they believed it was the source for their creativity.
That show that didn’t last long called Black Box. A doctor who would go off her meds because she felt she could think more clearly when her illness wasn’t repressed.
And some people who self harm as a symptom of their mental illness. They choose to seek help when they feel it’s needed. That they don’t want to continue that way.
Your blanket statement of wrong is wrong.
As a generalized statement for mental illness it’s correct, especially when people confuse the treatment for addictions with mental health treatment. The examples you give are exceptions to the rule. The great majority of people DO NOT want to be mentally ill. And I’d even go so far as to say the artists you speak of are possibly too ill to know what they are doing, thus choosing the illness over sanity.
I agree with what you said.
When I was 31 my mother was going through menopause, horrible job pressure and broke up with her long-term boyfriend.
She began behaving erratically with a great deal of paranoia. We begged her to seek help to no avail. Eventually she had a pyschotic break. Completely delusional and paranoid. She began threatening people, on day she threatened my grandmother, took my 18-month-old son who my grandmother was babysitting and absconded.
You cannit believevthe panic I felt. I made it to her condo across town in record breaking time. Thank God she was there with my son who was fine but I noticed she was not really coherent, she had been walking back and forth to the dumpster, braless with her top open, throwing here possessions away. I got her to stop, and calmed her down.
I took my son, went home, called my older sister and we both went to court the next day and had a judge issue a 5150. We went to her condo, waited for the sheriffs who placed her in custody and took her to the county psychiatric ward for a 72-hour involuntary observation.
Of course she was screaming that she would never forgive us, that we were the devil’s spawn, that we were part of some larger conspracy, that she would disown us, but in those 72 hours with medication she became lucid enough to realize she needed help. They placed her on Haldol which turned her into a zombie, I made the doctors take her off Haldol, and replace it with another medication and she became more like herself.
She came to live with me and with proper therapy in less than a year was back to her normal self, working, in her condo, medication free and never had another episode.
We were lucky but now I realize that her estrogen levels were low due to menopause which exasperated the break but was not the complete cause of the break. Also her GYN placing her on estrogen therapy during that period expedited her recovery.
@
allheavens what a terrifying story. I’m so glad it worked out for you all.
Just a comment as to the creativity… I used to be a paramedic and was in the homes of many mentally ill patients. Some of the artwork filling the walls of some schizophrenics was absolutely amazing.
Emmie-a:
I respectfully disagree. You can’t make blanket statements like that. Where is your evidence that the majority of people who are mentally ill do not wish to be mentally ill? As a psychologist I can tell you as FACT that the majority of people who need help do not seek it. It is the minority of individuals who are aware that they have a problem and have the courage to seek help.
The difference with addiction is that most addicts are at least aware that they need help even if they choose not to seek it. But the majority of people who are truly mentally ill may not even be aware. Take someone like Tom Cruise for example. To me he is straight up mentally ill. To him it is my profession that should not exist!
That said, I feel for Amanda. But when I looked at the video, I did not see proof of Axis I psychopathology so much as Axis II narcissism. She seems to be profoundly narcissistic to me. At school, she felt entitled to do no work and pay others to do her work for her. That is narcissistic entitlement, not true mental illness (in the way that I use the term). I think that the combination of narcissism and drug abuse may be her primary problems, and that is why it is going to be difficult for her parents to get a conservatorship. She will clean up and be back on the streets before long, with predators like Sam Lufti only too happy to keep telling her how skinny and wealthy and beautiful she is.
BETHA:
The 1st paragraph of your comment makes no sense based on my previous comments.
I don’t know if it’s a FACT that the majority of people who are ill and who need help do not seek it (your blanket statement.) BUT that doesn’t mean or prove that they WANT to be ill. It might mean a lack of mental health awareness or the stigma attached to mental illness keeps people from seeking help. It also might mean some people are too sick to even know they need help. I am a therapist. I have seen all of the above scenarios (and more) in play.
You are lumping two separate issues into one. Being ill is one topic, seeking treatment is another.
And yes, please diagnose Amanda based on what little press coverage you have seen.
Emmie:
You’re right about not diagnosing Amanda based on press coverage. For all we know she may be just trolling.
Diagnosis and treatment fortunately go together in my profession as a clinical psychologist. And I stand by my earlier statement that most mentally ill people can and do remain genuinely unaware that they are mentally ill so your categorical statements about choice simply do not apply.
Betha- I don’t think narcissists engage in long talks with themselves and trees and other objects in public. Read the observations about her recent shoplifting incident also. That’s not narcissism. She also seemed quite well grounded as a child and teen and didn’t seem to have an overblown ego then. All this is coming from some other illness, I think. I know “narcissist” is a new buzzword, but it doesn’t really fit her it in many cases. (“Sociopath” is another buzzword that seems to be thrown around haphazardly as well, but few people really merit the label).
She is very ill, i’m so glad they were able to get her into the hospital before something bad happened. I hope her parents see the seriousness of the situation now, and best wishes to them in helping her get better.
That Lufti guy is sketchy personified. I shudder to think why he had contacts with these young women to begin with.
She’s not on drugs I don’t think. She NEEDS to be on some serious anti psychotic drugs. And needs to have an extended conservator ship.
She may very well be self-medicating. Any form of drug or alcohol can have disastrous effects on someone with a mental illness. Even pot. If she’s been using or drinking, the hospital will have to gt her sober to access her condition.
Sam Lutfi is pure poison. He circles around wealthy unwell women like a vulture around carrion. Britney Spears, Courtney Love and now Amanda. I really hope her parents keep her far, far away from him.
My best wishes to her and to her family, it’s a sad situation.
Sam seems to attach himself to these “troubled” stars. Courtney Love is also in his stable of damaged toys. Good guy or bad guy? I don’t know.
Bad guy. Very bad guy. Her parents probably paid him to coerce her back. He can be bought. That’s all. He’s a bottom feeder and a snake.
He is evilness personified. Anyone who makes a career out of fleecing money from mentally ill, unstable and drug addled young women should be hung from the balls.
Honestly I do feel for her. I had trauma going on in my life when I was 12-14 because my family was falling apart and I would say things that didn’t make sense to people so I was bullied badly because they saw my mental health as a joke. Kids are mean and that is what is going on with the media and general public with Amanda. I eventually got help and I am much better 10 years later :). I hope she gets well and she does look cute in those photos. I’ve always liked her smile.
#blurredbynes
I believe what she said about her father.
Me too.
I know I said a lot of this on the other post but I’ll say it all again. Amanda’s parents showed no concern for her when she was a danger to herself, this time they tricked her into hospital when she threatened their reputations. Last time it was because she was blowing through all her money. Amanda’s mother said she was “heartbroken” over the accusations, not the fact that her daughter is extremely unwell or that the accusations could be true (I believe they are). But most of all, Amanda was on Nickelodeon so these creeps sold their daughter to Dan Schneider when she was a child. You all know Dan Schneider, he’s the father of Jamie Lynn spears’ baby. Amanda’s parents, along with britneys parents are the problem, not the solution
It is curious and makes me wonder for this reason: her parents made no serious comments about anything else. Just this quick denial and defense of the dad. It seemed to me to have an almost accusatory tone directed at Amanda. No note of concern for her I don’t think.
Thank you all for saying this. So many people will assume its just the mental illness but I honestly feel there is more behind this and I feel her mother’s immediate statement and the fact they have been so quiet otherwise speaks volumes. The statement was unconvincing to me and then just hours later they have her committed again. I worry because her parents clearly let her move out when she was not well, were in denial and said her illness was really addiction (or so they claimed publicly), so they let her stop taking the meds, let her move out on her own and downward spiral. The only thing that stopped it was her making this statement. Now I’m terrified for her and I hope she finds help outside of her parents who actually might be a trigger for a lot of this and do not always seem to consider her best interests. Such a hard situation to be in.
I’m not seeing this-people frequently blame parents and relatives for not “making” an ill person take their meds,, stay at home, attend counseling etc. Her parents didn’t “let” her do any of these things-they have no authority or ability to do this. If a person is not subject to a conservator or guardian, not a damned thing the parents can do.
These parents like the Spars, are not mental health professions therapists or even jailers. They have no idea about how to cope on a daily basis or long term and aren’t trained to do so. I’m really tired of the” blame the family” when they are clearly not in any position, legally or medically, until the statutory requirements for commitment are met.
Right on, sapphire!
I see, and that she has a microchip in her head, what about that, you buying that? The girl is sick and doing and saying all kinds of things because of her illness. It’s disgusting to character assassinate her parents because of her delusional statements and you should reconsider your opinion.
I realize my opinion has no bearing on these people’s lives, but I tend to believe those types of accusations. (Rape, too) When in doubt, I’ll go with the (maybe) victim. I’ve seen it more than once, personally and professionally, so maybe I’m biased, but mothers often live in denial and often choose denial over their children. Their heads would explode if they admitted it, they can’t take it. I think abuse, sexual in particular, happens much, much, MUCH more often than we know and I feel I sort of owe it to all those survivors who maybe sit here, reading this, considering to break their silence to state it at least once: I believe her.
It’s so difficult.
I hope she gets the help she needs both short-term and long-term. Poor kid.
Ok, so I can’t believe I don’t know this, but who is Sam Lufti and what he did to Brittney? I’m curious..
Satan.
Pumped her full of drugs, gave her career advice (this was when she was tanking after her split from K-Fed), enabled her behavior rather than attempting to get her help. Brit’s parents were the one that got a restraining order against him because of how twisted he had Britney around his finger. Britney had a mental break, now Amanda.
I’m honestly wondering if there have been more people that suddenly had a break down associated with Lufti.
Dommy- Britney’s divorce did not precipitate her illness. She was showing clear signs of it during and before her marriage. I’m sure K-Fed was baffled, had no idea what to do with her (she had pursued him and was the rich one in the relationship with all the power), and withdrew from her as a coping mechanism. He sure came through for their kids later when she became an obvious danger to herself and the boys. He has never said a word against her and let her see the kids under supervision even when the judge denied visitation. Britney and her parents are very lucky K-Fed was her ex. The divorce would have happened no matter who she married, but she was lucky to have such a gentle fellow dealing with the aftermath. K-Fed isn’t perfect, but he isn’t mean or vengeful. (All “get a condom” jokes can now commence…)
Lutfi, on the other hand, has a long history of going after the rich and vulnerable (male and female). He’s a California boy so LA is his main playground. I imagine he was offered payment only if he succeeded in getting her safely to LA. Perhaps there was a promise of no legal repercussions for whatever he already has done to her. He really is a sleazy predator.
He claimed he was Britney Spears’ “manager” while she was going through her breakdown. But he basically shut her off from her family and friends, preying on her unstable mental state in an attempt to get money from her. (He may even have been supplying her with drugs.) He has actually brought a defamation suit against her parents who finally got Britney into psychiatric care and away from him. He is a vulture who circles around women in the entertainment world who are going through severe mental issues and basically controls them in order to get money from them. He was chasing after Paris Jackson for a while until she started getting psychiatric care, and is currently “managing” Courtney Love, a continuing train wreck.
I’m wondering why anyone would hire Sam Lufti with such a public record of abuse? Courtney Love is a cliche train wreck, but doesn’t she have friends who would warn her off someone like Lufti? From what everyone is describing, he isn’t a handler or a manager at all, but if we could label him, he’s the last chance drug dealer in hollywood, nothing more.
@homegrrl: I know, you’d think his reputation would precede him, but Courtney Love is a head case to begin with. Women in psychological trouble are like magnets for a weasel like Lufti who seems to have all the answers, all the drugs, all the pseudo-therapy, all the contacts to promote their careers and make them better. These broken women are like putty in the hands of someone like him and the Luftis of the world are masters of persuasion; smooth, caring, they have all the answers and can manipulate someone in a fragile state of mind into believing their schtick. I’ve run across a few in my lifetime, and thank God I had the presence of mind to run away.
I watched the video on TMZ, which I never usually do (hangs head in shame). I just couldnt believe that it was as bad as everyone says but after seeing that video yes, it’s even worse than I imagined. She’s very unwell, manic, and not making sense or seeming to know even which direction to walk in from minute to minute. It’s a crisis for sure.
What made me really mad and disgusted were the paps yelling “Amanda Amanda what is your microchip telling you?!?”. How dare they! A schizophrenic person with paranoid delusions already feels that people are “in their head” and that their delusions are real. Having paps scream this at her only strengthens her belief that there truly is a chip in her head. How dare they take a symptom of someone so unwell and throw it back at her for entertainment?
It just makes the hard work that she is now headed to do even harder for her.
I am relieved that she is getting help and I hope that after she is stabalized she can stay out of the public eye, the public is a bunch of vultures on her. And I feel guilty still for even watching that sad video and giving them one more hit. Lesson learned.
I can’t believe the paps were taunting her like that, that just makes my blood boil. If she had cancer or diabetes I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t be yelling about her chemo or insulin levels. People need to realize that mental illnesses are biological, medical conditions, not to be dismissed as just fodder for jokes. I really hope she gets the help she needs.
I watched it too and feel sad.
I don’t think she was on the phone with anyone. She is in desperate need/a desperate situation, hopefully she gets the help she needs and is seeking ( knowingly seeking or not.)
I had the same thought. I don’t think she’s on the phone with anyone either. She didn’t speak into the phone at all, just answered the paps and rambled.
Good, I hope things will work out this time.. She really needs help, even if she doesn’t want to (and saying such things about her parents.. poor them, I really can’t imagine what they’re going thought).
Sorry but Lufti I see as a possible cause. ‘Here have this and that and that and this’ The human body and mind is a miraculous thing however when we overload it on various drug and alcohol cocktails (I’m talking pills and chemicals here not weed) and then to take it away could leave a mind unhealthy. It’s just odd two women Sam had involvement with are both mentally unstable, or became rather. But that’s the tin foil hat in me.
What it most likely is would be schizophrenia. I’m pro weed however there have been studies shown that someone with that disorder could possibly be at greater risk when using marijuana. I’ve read a few but I’ve read some that fight that accusation so I can’t say nor am I doctor but it frightens me slightly. My aunt was schizophrenic and it’s nothing to joke about. She went from being able to fully take care of herself to not knowing if we were real, believing we were spies sent to give information on her back to the government. It was heartbreaking.
Her parents need to let a professional be her conservator. They were beyond negligent in not ensuring that Amanda took her meds and the letting the conservatorship lapse. I don’t say this to be cruel but that’s the reality. Rick & Lynn seem to be in some serious denial thinking this is just a drug problem when it is pretty obvious something very serious that goes beyond drugs is also going on, while I’m not Amanda’s treating psychologist, I would say yeah chances are she does have paranoid schizophrenia (let’s not forget that this is the worst and hardest to treat of all schizo spectrum disorders). And then they contact that skeeze Lutfi to lure her back? Even if he was preying on Amanda I want to know how and when he sunk his claws into her in the first place.
I know I sound harsh but all it takes is one screw up and Amanda or someone else gets hurt or harmed because of delusional thinking. I don’t think her parents understand how dangerous Amanda’s illness is. Sometimes it isn’t always the best thing for a patient to be left in the care of family.
Yes!!!! Her parents were totally negligent. They let her go while she was still very ill. They are in denial if they think this is all her choice. Mental Illness is an ILLNESS. It is not something we have by choice. And yes, I am also crazy. (better term). I suffer from Depression and Anxiety. Most Every Single Person I know who is mentally ill would rather NOT be. It is not a joke. It is not funny. Amanda could have easily harmed herself and someone else. I cannot believe they let this girl wander around the country.
And it is VERY common for someone to break down with a major mental illness at age 20 or 30 or 40. A psychotic break can happen to anyone, even someone with a very nurturing family and no childhood trauma.
Read The Noonday Demon by Andrew Solomon. Excellent book on mental illness.
to the person who wondered why the paps were so nasty? – do you really think they care? Do you really think they will not take every opportunity to taunt someone with whatever arsenal they have? Maybe there are 1 or 2 with integrity, but paps are all about confrontation.
I feel so bad for her, I remember watching one of her shows years ago thinking how talented she was, she was funny and seemed so sweet. I hope she gets the help she needs, sounds like it needs to be a situation like Britney Spears has with a prolonged conservatorship.
Sam Lufti is a sleazy bag drug pipeline man in Hollywood….He hooks the young monied ones up and then he hooks into their money…..Sam was Amanda’s friend before she went off her with her first DUI’s 2 yrs ago…..she is mentioned him several times back then….Mom and Dad put a block on him back then…..blocked him from seeing , talking and texting her ….and keep him block till the conservatorship was over then Amanda got into contract again…and friend Sam has been “advising her again.” …. Her parents are NOT his friends they know what and who he is…but they would use him to get their daughter back just as you or I would if that was the only way to do it….but you can almost be guaranteed they had to pay him to do it… Now they have to Keep that demon out of her life again and that is not going to be easy…
It’s just sick how the paparazzi is playing this out. I’m not a psychologist (yet, anyways – studying to be one) but it’s clear that Amanda has some serious mental issues and that she’s trapped in a vicious cycle. She self-medicates to try to deal with the issues, and in turn the substance abuse intensifies some of symptoms of the disorder (hallucinations or delusions, for example). I just pray that her family will take this seriously, and help her to get the help that she desperately needs. There are people out there, like Elyn Saks, who have these types of issues and are able to accomplish great things.
I believe what she sad about her father. A lot of child stars were molested by their father or studio executives. I don t think her parents are trustworthy.. she s clearly been through trauma that is manifesting itself now in this crazy behavior. She truly needs help but not from her parents.
Lily- you can’t assume her father molested her because of what she said briefly in a delusional state. If she says little green men are flying around her in a tiny spaceship, are you going to assume that’s true? I know people want to believe she is ill because she was abused by somebody- but that’s not really how it goes. You get damaged by abuse in many ways, but her illness is the kind that typically just happens out of the blue in late teens and early twenties. The accusations probably just convinced her parents that they couldn’t wait any longer, so they took the drastic step of enlisting help from the infamous Lutfi.
I’m a psychologist.
Something I frequently hear when people discuss psychologists in general is that we love making unscientific arm chair diagnoses that are hugely subjective.
Please dear god stop speculating guys it undermines the science and helps no one.
I feel for this girl and really hope she receives whatever help and support it is that she needs.
I’m a psychiatrist and I agree wholeheartedly. It’s simply irresponsible to armchair diagnose someone without treating them. I can say what someone APPEARS to be exhibiting, but diagnosis isn’t something that can be just thrown out there by someone who is basing their opinion on a short video.
I’m surprised at the amount of ppl attacking the parents today. Amanda is a monies adult who seems to be refusing intervention. What can her parents do? I feel like though they are trying to stay out the media (bc who wants this public? Not them and I doubt a well Amanda) they are doing the best they can. They can’t control her like they could a child.
I worked as a case manager to severely psychiatrically ill adults for two years.
Truly feel bad for her. Mental illness is a terrible cross to bear, and one she will live with her whole life. Finding the correct medication combination/dosages is trial and error – and dependant on her taking them religously, which with the severly mentally ill is extremely hard to do.