Star Wars child star Jake Lloyd shares health information about schizophrenia

Jake Lloydbest known for playing a young Anakin Skywalker in 1999 Star Wars: Episode 1 – The Phantom Menaceoffered an update on his diagnosis of schizophrenia.

In an interview with Clayton Sandel published via Podstek On Wednesday, Jan. 1, Lloyd, 35, shared that he’s “pretty good considering the 20 years that’s come to an end.” In late 2024, he revealed that he was currently living in a rehab facility after completing an 18-month inpatient stay at a Southern California psychiatric facility.

Lloyd shared that he was diagnosed with anosognosia along with his schizophrenia. According to Cleveland Clinicanosagnosia is a neurological disorder that causes the brain to fail to recognize a medical condition, often causing patients to avoid or resist treatment.

“I can now accept continued treatment, therapy and medication. Everyone is very supportive,” Lloyd shared, describing how he feels about taking the medication. “I don’t have time to feel unstable. It’s a very good cushion.”

Lloyd was just 8 years old when he was cast as the young Anakin Skywalker Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. According to the former actor, his experience with Star Wars was generally positive.

“The experience I had with the fans was therapeutic,” he shared. “Now it’s still therapeutic. It is good for people and healthy. It’s not something I would shy away from.”

He added that he still has good memories of the time of creation A ghostly threat. “I really appreciate the time we spent,” Jake said. “I’m very grateful.”

Jake’s mother Lisa Lloydsaid Sandell, “Jake is actually getting a lot better than he was. This is a great relief for me and the rest of his family. We’re all just thrilled that he’s doing as well as he is and that he’s working really hard at it. We appreciate it.”

Jake was diagnosed with schizophrenia in 2016 after a 10-month stint in prison. In early 2024, Lisa opened up about Jake’s mental health issues and revealed that he was admitted to a mental health rehab facility in March 2023 after suffering from a mental breakdown.

“Jake started having problems in high school,” Lisa explained in March 2024, recalling how she first noticed a change in Jake’s personality. “He started talking about ‘realities.’ He didn’t know if he was in this reality or another. I really didn’t know what to say to that.”

After he was accepted into the residential program, Lisa shared that Jake was “doing a lot better than (she) expected.” She shared: “He’s getting on better with people and becoming a bit more social which is really nice. It’s like the old Jake coming back, because he was always incredibly social until he became schizophrenic.”

Speaking to Sandell in 2024, Jake shared that he loves all things new Star Wars Mass media that have been released in recent years, including new Star Wars: Ahsoka series on Disney+.