Star Wars child actor shares update after 18 months of treatment for psychotic break

Jake Lloyd, who played young Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, has shared a positive update following his treatment at a mental health facility

Star Wars actor Jake Lloyd, known for his role as young Anakin Skywalker in 'The Phantom Menace', has expressed a positive outlook after completing an 18-month program at a mental health facility.

Jake was diagnosed with schizophrenia in 2008 and suffered a psychotic break in March 2023. Speaking to journalist Clayton Sandell, Jake said of how he was feeling: "Pretty good, considering these 20 years of time that have come to an end. I can now accept taking on continued treatment, and therapy, and my meds. Everyone's been very supportive."

During the interview, which also saw his mother Lisa correcting him about the timeline since his diagnosis, Jake spoke about avoiding volatility and described his journey as needing to reach "rock bottom" to fully engage with his healing process. He acknowledged the need to "honestly take part in treatment, honestly take your meds, and honestly live with your diagnosis".

His mother Lisa added insight into his struggles, revealing Jake also battles anosognosia, a neurological disorder leading to an unawareness of illness. In closing, Jake extended his gratitude towards fans for their support, finding their encouragement to be "therapeutic".

He expressed his gratitude, adding: "The experience I've had with the fans is immediately therapeutic. Right now, it's still therapeutic. It's helpful for people and healthy. It isn't something I'd shy away from. I really do appreciate the time that's been taken on us. I'm very appreciative."

Lisa shared to Scripps News the frightening moment her son experienced a psychotic break in March 2023, "He said he wanted to turn the car off. And he turned the car off in the middle of the three lanes, and we were in the middle lane. " She recalled the chaos: "There was a lot of yelling and screaming."

The car being stopped then caused traffic to pile up with other drivers then alerting the authorities via a 911 call as Lisa continued: "The police got there, and they asked Jake some questions. He was talking to them, but none of it made sense. It was all word salad."

Talking to police was confusing as "none of it made sense," she admitted, but rather than being jailed, her son was taken to hospital and afterwards, moved to a mental health rehab facility months later. When he was first admitted, his mum shared an update and said he was doing well in the program.

She explained at the time: "He is relating to people better and becoming a little bit more social, which is really nice. It’s kind of like having more of the old Jake back, because he has always been incredibly social until he became schizophrenic."

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