What happened to Jake Lloyd? Mother reveals Star Wars actor is getting help at mental health rehabilitation facility

During an exclusive interview with Scripps News on March 11, Jake Lloyd's mother, Lisa Lloyd said that the actor is struggling with a mental illness.

Jake is known for his appearance as Young Anakin Skywalker in The Phantom Menace. While talking about Jake's journey with Star Wars, Lisa said:

"Jake started having some trouble in high school. He started talking about "realities" 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."

As per Outlook, Jake went through a psychotic episode in March 2023 when he turned off his car in the middle of a three-lane road. He is currently serving an 18-month stay at a mental health rehabilitation facility after his recent March 2023 episode.

The Star Wars actor was diagnosed with Schizophrenia in 2008.

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Exploring Jake Lloyd's health issues

Lisa Lloyd, while revealing details about her son's life, said that when she took him to see a doctor, they said that Jake Lloyd could have bipolar disorder.

He tried several prescribed medications but nothing seemed to work. Lisa explained that his mental health challenges worsened during high-school years.

Jake Lloyd graduated from high school in 2007 and started college at Columbia College, Chicago;

"He missed a lot of classes, and he was telling me that people were following him."

As per Lisa, Lloyd would claim to notice people with "black eyes" staring at him in public and would talk back at the television screen with Daily Show host Jon Stewart.

He was then diagnosed with paranoid Schizophrenia and refused to take medication since he believed he wasn't sick.

"When they finally told him, it totally threw him off into an even worse depression. It was really hard."

While talking about Jake Lloyd's Schizophrenia diagnosis, Lisa believed that it was genetic and that the former actor's psychiatrist also believed that he would become schizophrenic.

In 2015, Jake was a part of a high-profile car chase and was arrested. He received a 10-month jail term and subsequent psychiatric intervention.

In March, 2023, Lisa said that the former actor had a "full blown psychotic break" after which he was taken to a mental health rehabilitation facility.

Lisa also revealed that after consistent treatment and medication, his condition has improved.

"He's doing much better than I expected. He loves all the new Star Wars stuff. People think Jake hates Star Wars. He loves it.

Phantom Menace received backlash from Star Wars fans, and Jake fell a victim to it after being cast in the film at eight years old.

Lisa revealed that although people believe that Jake quit acting because of Star Wars, the real reason was their divorce, which she described as "unsettling" and rough."