Amanda Bynes was put under psychiatric hold. A mental health nurse said patients are restrained in some cases.

• Amanda Bynes was put under a 72-hour psychiatric hold on Sunday.
• She has bipolar disorder, which can cause a person to have manic episodes.
• A hold happens if a person is a danger to themself or others because of their mental health.

Amanda Bynes was put under a psychiatric hold on Sunday.

The "She's the Man" actress, 36, flagged down a car in downtown LA and proceeded to call 911, according to reports.

She told the driver of the car that she was coming down from a psychotic episode, which is when a person can't recognize what is real and what isn't, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

Bynes was then taken to a local police station where she was assessed by a mental health expert and put under a 5150 psychiatric hold.

Kristen Choi, a psychiatric nurse and health services researcher at UCLA, told Insider a person can be legally put into a psychiatric hold in California if they are considered a danger to themself or others, or if they are "gravely disabled" and therefore unable to care for their basic needs. 

The person tends to be taken to the ER — or in the case of Bynes, a police station — where they will be assessed by trained professionals to see if they meet the criteria for a psychiatric hold.

If they do, they are taken to an inpatient psychiatric unit or hospital where they are monitored. 

The patient will also be evaluated by psychiatrists, psychologists, and social workers and given treatment — such as therapy — and medication if necessary, although patients do have the right to deny any treatment.

Choi said: "The goal is really to help stabilize that person while they're in an acute crisis and then hopefully get them connected to community-based resources when they leave."

A person can be put restrained in handcuffs if they meet the criteria for a hold

When a person is detained, they can be forcibly taken to a hospital if they meet the criteria for a hold, which can include being put in handcuffs if they're not wanting to cooperate, although it isn't too common, Choi said.

A person can be restrained, even if they have called 911 on themselves, as they may want help but not want to be taken into apsychiatric hospital.

When a person is admitted to the hospital, they will usually have their belongings searched for anything that could be dangerous. Often patients are also asked to change out of their own clothes, but this depends on the facility and their policy, according to Choi.

Patients are, however, allowed to have their own possessions — assuming they don't pose a risk — make phone calls, and have visitors.

A person can be held for longer than three days in a psychiatric hold

If the facility feels it's necessary, the patient can be held for longer than 72 hours if they are still meeting the criteria for a hold, but can be held for less than 72 hours if they no longer do.

If the 72-hour hold is extended, it will be for 14 days and they will have a case hearing before a judge.

This hold can be extended further and, in some cases, a patient can be put under a conservatorship, the only criterion of which is that the person is "gravely disabled."

Bynes was previously put into a conservatorship under her mother, Lynn Organ, in 2013 after she experienced two psychiatric holds. Once was for allegedly setting fire to an elderly woman's driveway, and another after tweeting that her dad had abused her and put a microchip in her brain.

The conservatorship ended a year ago.

During her conservatorship, Bynes was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, which is a mental illness that affects a person's ability to think clearly and dramatically affects their moods, according to NAMI. Bipolar causes people to experience manic episodes where they might behave impulsively or make reckless decisions.

Bipolar can be treated with an assortment of psychotherapy, medication such as mood stabilizers and antipsychotic medications, and educating the person about their illness.

Bynes' ex-fiance Paul Michael told Page Six after she was put in the hold that she hadn't been taking her medication for her biploar recently.

Insider has contacted Bynes' representatives for comment.