We all know about the events that led to Britney Spears’ hospitalization in 2008 and the subsequent loss of the custody of her sons. Her emotional issues prompted her father to file for conservatorship, which he still has, in order to prevent her from making any more bad decisions. In the years that followed, Britney seems to be doing well and getting the treatment she needs. It’s for this reason that conservatorships exist: to protect people who are affected by incapacity and unable to make decisions for their financial, mental or physical health.
Unfortunately, the actress Amanda Bynes has been going through emotional difficulties, which have reportedly resulted in her parents filing for conservatorship. After the fire department responded to her home in California and found her standing next to a fire in her driveway, they put her on a 5150 hold. Her behavior gave them the ability to have her involuntarily hospitalized for a mental evaluation for up to 72 hours.
Apparently while in the hospital, Amanda began exhibiting schizophrenic tendencies, such as erratic and paranoid behavior. If her parents receive conservatorship, they will be able to make decisions they deem in her best interest, to protect her as well as her estate.
Florida residents are able to file for conservatorships for their loved ones for the same reasons. A family member may be suffering from mental illness, but in other cases the children of elderly parents may need to seek a conservatorship in order to act on their behalf when old age becomes incapacitating. It’s never an easy decision to seek legal authority over another loved one, but it can be necessary to protect their best interests.
Source: Source: ABC-7, “Amanda Bynes’ parents file for conservatorship in wake of 5150 psychiatric hold,” Natalie Abrams, July 27, 2013
