Amanda Bynes tweets topless photo, friends beg for help

The troubled and talented Amanda Bynes

The former teen star has become more known for her bizarre behavior.

LOS ANGELES – The Amanda Bynes saga took another scary turn in the late night hours Wednesday night when actress Jenny McCarthy tweeted that police were at the troubled star's home in New York City.

"Police are at @AmandaBynes house. I hope they get her help. Enough of this circus. She needs help," McCarthy wrote.

The source of McCarthy's information? Apparently she was quoting from the tweets of Bynes' former publicist Jonathan Jaxson, who had tweeted: "I just spoke to@AmandaBynes and she is soooo messed up on drugs and please @NY_POLICE find her and help her! I don't know her address!"

In response, Bynes lashed out at her "What I Like About You" costar, calling McCarthy "old" and "ugly."

"@JennyMcCarthy I need help? What are u talking about? Aren't u 50 years old? I'm 27, u look 80 compared to me! Why are you talking about me?" Bynes fumed. "@JennyMcCarthy you're ugly! Police weren't at my house old lady! Shut the f**k up!"

Bynes then deleted the messages and seemingly made up with McCarthy via Twitter, saying "You're beautiful! I was lying!"

The online kerfuffle came soon after Bynes had posted topless photos of herself on Twitter.

Those pics came after Tuesday night's shots in which she was similarly unclothed, but at least still wearing a bra.

PHOTOS: More Bynes Twitpics.

In the preceding weeks, Bynes, 27, had been spotted wandering strangely around New York City, shaving half her head, tweeting obscene things about her affection for musician Drake, posting videos of herself mumbling in front of the mirror.

Bynes' behavior reportedly has the children in her apartment building scared, too.

And while some of her actions are reminiscent of a 2007 Britney Spears, whose very public meltdown culminated in her shaving her own head and later led to -- and still requires -- a legal conservatorship, one court expert told FOX411's Pop Tarts column earlier this week that  there is nothing like that in the works for Bynes.

"There are two main standards that courts look at as far as conservatorships. The first is the person a danger to themselves  -- Spears was and demonstrated that often -- and the second is whether the person a danger to society. Britney Spears was, and to her two children as well," legal consultant and alternative sentencing expert Wendy Feldman. "Amanda seems to have a serious mental illness, but that does not meet the standard in court. There is no record of suicide attempts or drug overdoses."

At least for now.