Amanda Bynes pulls a Lohan

Bynes smoking pot (courtesy of TMZ.com)

Amanda Bynes — Serious Mental Issues | TMZ.com.

A decade ago, Amanda Bynes was a successful television star making her film debut in 2002′s “Big Fat Liar.” The years that followed brought her even more success as she landed her first leading role in 2003′s “What a Girl Wants” and even launched her own fashion line, Dear, in 2007.

Unfortunately, things have gone downhill for her ever since.

In 2008, the company behind Bynes’ clothing line, Steve & Barry’s, filed for bankruptcy and officially went out of business in 2009.

There was a brief upswing in Bynes’ career that year, when she signed a two-picture deal with the production company Screen Gems. Her first role was in the 2010 teen comedy “Easy A” alongside up-and-coming Emma Stone. Bynes’ second film was to be a starring role in the sequel to “Hairspray,” but the production was cancelled before getting off the ground.

Bynes apparently had enough and decided to quit acting in 2010, when she tweeted “I don’t love acting anymore, so I’ve stopped doing it.” Later, she changed her story and simply said she was taking some time off. Unfortunately, this break from acting gave Bynes plenty of time to start getting into trouble.

This past March, an LA police officer stopped Bynes for talking on her cell phone while driving. The following month, she was arrested and charged with a DUI after side-swapping a squad car. June saw her charged with another DUI, this time for refusing to submit to a drug test. And earlier this month, Bynes was charged with hit-and-run for fleeing the scenes of two accidents. Her driver’s license was subsequently suspended.

Obviously, a lot can happen in one year. And I’m not even done yet.

Bynes at “Easy A” premiere

Bynes has been observed at her local gym both talking to herself and engaging in sudden and uncontrollable bursts of laughter. Her neighbors have even seen her speaking with inanimate objects and fear that her condition may be deteriorating.

Whatever the reason, it does seem like Amanda Bynes is on a downward trajectory. I can accept that a promising and talented young actress could fall so far from grace because it’s such a common story in Hollywood. The difference here is that Bynes may have deeper, more serious psychological problems working against her. And without strong support in place, I fear things could get worse before they get better.

Here’s hoping that someone in Bynes’ life steps up and helps her through this dark period. One Lindsay Lohan is enough, to be sure.

UPDATE: Yesterday morning, Bynes was pulled over by police and ticketed by police for driving with a suspended license. Her black BMW was impounded, so we probably don’t have to worry about seeing her on the road anytime soon. I should also mention that the illustrious Lindsay Lohan weighed in on the situation when she tweeted the following: “Why did I get put in jail and a nickelodeon star has had NO punishment(s) so far?” Maybe it’s because you break the law almost daily, Lindsay, but I’m sure that couldn’t be the reason. If you sense sarcasm, it’s probably because I’m laying it on pretty thick!

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