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Amanda Bynes Released from Mental Hospital ... Starting Outpatient Treatment

Amanda Bynes has been released from a mental hospital more than 3 weeks after she was first admitted for treatment ... TMZ has learned.

Sources close to Bynes tell us she was released Monday from the facility in Southern California after both Amanda and the medical staff determined she was ready to get back to her day-to-day life.

As we first told you, Amanda will start outpatient treatment to make sure she stays on the right path, working with doctors and specialists for the help she needs moving forward.

Our sources say Amanda will live in her own home, as she was before the hospitalization, and keep much of the independence she earned after 9 years in a conservatorship.

TMZ broke the story ... it was last month when Amanda was spotted naked and roaming the streets early morning near Downtown Los Angeles.

A witness tells us it was Amanda who flagged down a nearby vehicle, signaling she needed help. From there, Amanda called 911 and let operators know she was under some sort of psychosis and needed assistance.

At first, Amanda was placed on a mandatory 72-hour psych hold ... which was extended while she and the medical staff worked to get her back on track.

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