Nick Cannon pens letter to 'sister' Amanda Bynes

Amanda Bynes' recent behavior has landed her in tough positions with a few celebrities, but there's one former co-worker who's still in her corner.

Nick Cannon, who appeared on Nickelodeon's "All That" in the late '90s with Bynes, has written a lengthy open letter to the troubled actress, who was placed under a 14-day psychiatric hold in a California hospital last week.

While some have poked fun at Bynes' bizarre behavior, Cannon said he
sees "this as no laughing matter. I tweeted a few weeks about how the entertainment industry just consumes people and spits them out like flavorless bubblegum. A few chews of enjoyment then they’re under a city bus bench. ... I am always the first to say that fame and entertainment is one of the best and easiest occupations to ever have, but one must know how to navigate through the matrix or you may find yourself in a very dark hole."

And if the person lacks a support system of trustworthy friends and family members, it's easy to "become paranoid, frantic, manic, (and) irrational because you (can't) bounce your thoughts or ideas off of anyone anymore," Cannon said.

Bynes' parents have been working to place their 27-year-old daughter under a conservatorship on the grounds that she's mentally ill and suffering from substance abuse issues. And in the meantime, Cannon is offering his shoulder should Bynes need one to lean on.

"No one on this planet needs to be judged or even has the right to judge. ... And we need each other to in times of despair," Cannon said. "So I say to my sister Amanda Bynes, you’re not alone. I’m here for you. I understand. I care and I appreciate you, because that’s what family does and that’s what family is for."