Star Wars child star Jake Lloyd shares a health update on schizophrenia

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

In an interview with Clayton Sandel published via Understeg on Wednesday, Jan. 1, Lloyd, 35, shared that it’s “pretty good considering the 20 years that’s coming to an end.” At the end of 2024 he revealed that he is currently living in a rehab facility after completing an 18-month stint at an inpatient mental health facility in Southern California.

Lloyd shared that along with schizophrenia, he was also diagnosed with anosognosia. According to Cleveland Clinicanosognosia is a neurological condition that causes someone’s brain to fail to recognize their health condition, often causing patients to avoid or resist treatment.

“I can now accept to continue my treatment, therapy and medication. Everyone was very supportive,” Lloyd shared, describing how he felt while taking his medication. “I don’t have time to feel fickle. That’s a lot of 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 is generally positive.

“The experience I had with the fans was immediately therapeutic,” he shared. “It’s still therapeutic right now. It is useful for people and healthy. It’s not something I would be ashamed of.”

He added that he still has fond memories of his time doing Phantom Menace. “I really appreciate the time we were given,” Jake said. “I am very grateful.”

Jake’s mother, Lisa Lloydsaid Sandel, “Jake is actually getting a lot better than he was. This is a great relief to 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 that.”

Jake was diagnosed with schizophrenia in 2016 after a 10-month stint in prison. At the beginning of 2024 Lisa revealed Jake’s mental health issues and revealed that he was admitted to a mental rehabilitation facility in March 2023 after suffering from a psychotic breakdown.

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

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

Speaking to Sandel in 2024, Jake shared that he loves anything new Star Wars media that have been released in recent years, including new ones Star Wars: Ahsoka a Disney+ series.