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Star Wars’ Child Actor Jake Lloyd in Mental Health Facility After Suffering Psychotic Break

​​​​​​​View Date:2024-12-23 21:01:17

Jake Llyod's mom is updating fans on his personal journey. 

Lisa Llyod, whose son played young Anakin Skywalker in 1999's Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, recently shared that he's been admitted into a mental health rehabilitation facility.

"As a mom, you're just pulling your hair out because your child needs help," she told Scripps News in an article published March 11. "You know that he's sick."

Jake, who was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia in 2008, according to Lisa, left the public eye in the early aughts amid negative reaction to The Phantom Menace. However, his mom shut down the notion that the criticism played a role in his mental health journey. 

"It would have happened anyway," she reflected. "I believe that it was genetic. And his psychiatrist also agrees that Jake was going to become schizophrenic."

E! News reached out to Lisa but has not heard back.

Lisa noted that Jake started showing concerning behavior while in high school when symptoms of schizophrenia often begin to develop, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

"He started talking about 'realities,'" she explained. "He didn't know if he was in this reality, or a different reality. I didn't really know exactly what to say to that."

Lisa said she took her son to see a doctor, who first believed he may have bipolar disorder, but after graduating high school, a series of appointments with more mental health professionals led to his official diagnosis.

And Lisa shared it was an uphill battle providing help for Jake, who often refused to take his medication. She recalled that last year, the 35-year-old had a mental break while the two were in the car when Jake ultimately entered a facility where he's currently into his 18-month stay.

"He's doing much better than I expected," Lisa said. "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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