(RepublicanView.org) – The mother of Star Wars child actor Jake Lloyd says her son is recovering in a mental health facility after decades of struggle. Lisa Lloyd, in an interview with Scripps News, described her son’s 35-year battle with mental health illness and said she wants to share her newfound hope with others who are similarly suffering.
Jake Lloyd played Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars Episode 1 – The Phantom Menace as a child. He also starred in episodes of ER and several movies, including Apollo 11.
His mother said his troubles began in high school when he told her he struggled with “realities.” For example, she once asked him if he had done his homework, and he answered that he didn’t know if he had homework because he wasn’t sure which reality he was in. A doctor later said he may have bipolar disorder, but the eventual diagnosis was paranoid schizophrenia combined with a neurological disorder known as anosognosia.
Following a highway incident in 2023, when he suddenly turned his car around mid-traffic, police found him incoherent and sent him to a local hospital. From there, he transferred to a psychiatric facility, where he spent 18 months. In a separate incident, police chased him through several counties when he set out on a car journey from Florida to Canada and was driving dangerously. He was jailed for ten months.
Asked if she believes his acting career contributed to his mental health problems, the star’s mother said it would have happened regardless. There is a history of schizophrenia in his father’s family, she said. Ms. Lloyd noted, however, that her son was severely affected by the death of his 26-year-old sister, who died from natural causes in 2018.
Now that Jake has had months of inpatient treatment, his mother said he is doing well, and she has hope for his future. “He’s doing much better than I expected,” she said.
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