What's Really Going On With Amanda Bynes' Conservatorship?

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Amanda Bynes is speaking out about her strict conservatorship, which she has been under for the past several years. The 33-year-old actress' mother currently has complete control over Bynes affairs and finances. Her mother has had control since Bynes first began struggling with both personal and legal problems which landed her in drug and mental health rehab facilities. Over the past several years, Amanda has been working on putting her life back together, primarily taking priority over her mental health.

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Amanda is currently continuing her treatment as an outpatient, and has recently gotten engaged to her boyfriend, Paul Michael. However, under her conservatorship she is unable to marry Paul Michael without her mother's permission, since she controls all of Amanda's affairs. Bynes' mother has refused to allow Amanda to Marry Paul Michael, saying she doesn't believe Amanda is in any capacity to make decisions about her care or treatment. Amanda's parent's have requested that Amanda remain in a controlled environment.

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Amanda took to Instagram to speak out against her conservatorship, which she feels is ruining her life. In a video posted Thursday, Amanda told fans, "Today I want to talk about a controversial topic: My conservatorship case. I have been going to a treatment center that charges $5,200 a month. There's no reason why I shouldn't go to a therapist who takes my insurance for $5,000 less a month. This is why I've asked to see the judge next week regarding this conservatorship issue.”

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Bynes has famously struggled with drugs and alcohol in the past. In 2013, the actress was hospitalized on a 5150 psychiatric hold after several driving and drug-related arrests. Bynes had also been displaying reckless behavior, including setting a small fire in her parents' neighbors' driveway and a slew of strange tweets. She was later released to her parents' care and continued her treatment. In 2014 she received another DUI, being placed on psychiatric hold again. She ended up spending 20 days at a treatment facility and tweeted that she had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and manic depression.

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In recent years, Amanda has began speaking out about her troubles and her journey to recovery. In 2018, she opened up to Paper Magazine saying she used to abuse Adderall and that after she retired from acting, she felt she had "no purpose in life." In her Instagram video, she also spoke to fans about addiction saying, "my advice to anyone who is struggling with substance abuse would be to be really careful because drugs can really take a hold of your life." She continued on, "everybody is different, obviously, but for me, the mixture of marijuana and whatever other drugs and sometimes drinking really messed up my brain. It really made me a completely different person. I actually am a nice person. I would never feel, say or do any of the things that I did and said to the people I hurt on Twitter."

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After retiring from acting, Amanda enrolled in the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising, where she graduated from in 2019. Bynes has been dating her new fiancé, Paul Michael, for “a little more than two months," according to an inside source. The two began dating after meeting each other at the same sober living facility. Amanda is taking control over her life and finding what makes her happy. She's sober, and seems to be coming into her own.However, while still under conservatorship, she can't have any real final say in her own life. Amanda will be heading to court to fight the conservatorship, which is supposed to end in August.