Jake Lloyd: ‘Star Wars’ Alum Diagnosed With Schizophrenia, Transfered To Psychiatric Facility


Star Wars alum Jake Lloyd has been transferred to a psychiatric facility after spending more than 10 months in jail.

According to the New York Daily News, the former child actor, who played the young Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars: Episode I:The Phantom Menace, was arrested in June 2015 after leading the police on a high-speed chase on Interstate 95 in South Carolina. While evading the patrol cars, Lloyd’s car reportedly exceeded more than 100 miles-per-hour. Jake Lloyd eventually crashed through a fence before plowing into a tree.

Following the chase, Lloyd, 26, was arrested and charged with reckless driving, failure to stop and driving without a driver’s license. Now, after spending nearly a year in jail, Lloyd is being transferred to a psychiatric facility to receive treatment for schizophrenia, which he was diagnosed with at the age of 19.

According to the Mayo Clinic,schizophrenia is defined as a “severe brain disorder in which people interpret reality abnormally.” The disorder can cause a person to experience hallucinations, delusions, and “extremely disordered thinking and behavior.” Symptoms of schizophrenia typically arise in men in their earlier twenties and women in their late twenties. Mental Health America reports that one percent of the world’s population is diagnosed with the disorder. One in a hundred people have this disease in the United States. The website also reports the warning signs to watch for if you suspect someone you know may have schizophrenia. Those warning signs are listed below.

  • Hearing or seeing something that isn’t there
  • A constant feeling of being watched
  • Peculiar or nonsensical way of speaking or writing
  • Strange body positioning
  • Feeling indifferent to very important situations
  • Deterioration of academic or work performance
  • A change in personal hygiene and appearance
  • A change in personality
  • Increasing withdrawal from social situations
  • Irrational, angry or fearful response to loved ones
  • Inability to sleep or concentrate
  • Inappropriate or bizarre behavior
  • Extreme preoccupation with religion or the occult

Jake Lloyd’s mother, Lisa, said her son was transferred from jail to a psychiatric facility after it was determined that he needed more help than punishment, TMZ reports. Shortly after Jake’s arrest, Lisa admitted that her son had been suffering from the illness for years and had attacked her several months earlier after failing to take his medications. She declined to press charges over the incident in which police say she was knocked down and kicked several times.

Jake Lloyd’s fans reacted to his transfer on social media, with many of them saying they hope he is able to get the help he needs to deal with his mental disorder.

“Sad to learn that Jake Lloyd who played young Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars Episode I, has schizophrenia,” one Twitter user wrote, while another added, “There are no words for the sympathy I feel for Jake Lloyd. 17 years of verbal abuse absolutely will exacerbate underlying mental illness.”

Star Wars actor Jake Lloyd diagnosed with schizophrenia https://t.co/A9RaoJK97Z pic.twitter.com/zAXOjOueoY

Still another added: “Very sad to hear about Jake Lloyd, the actor who played boy Anakin Skywalker in #StarWars. My heart goes out to him and I wish him well.”

It is not currently known how long Jake Lloyd will be staying in the psychiatric facility.

[Photo by Kevork Djansezian/ Associated Press]

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