Actor’s Mental Health Journey Shows System-Wide Disparities

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Last week, Lisa Lloyd offered a glimpse into the challenging realities navigated by her 35-year-old son, Jake Lloyd, known for playing young Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars: Episode I—The Phantom Menace.

She revealed that Lloyd is currently in a mental health rehabilitation facility—part of his ongoing struggle with mental illness.

Ms. Lloyd started noticing changes in her son during his high school years. Like many parents nationwide, she was witnessing the onset of serious mental health issues, which usually first arise in young people between the ages of 18-22.

Mr. Lloyd was ultimately diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. He had several incidents that qualify as full-blown mental health crises, including a high-speed car chase with law enforcement that ended with him totaling his car and spending 10 months in jail and an episode in which he called his mother to say he had been shot. He was actually hallucinating.

According to Ms. Lloyd, she felt compelled to come forward because upcoming events surrounding the 25^th anniversary of the movie could have led to speculation about her son’s whereabouts and his feelings about the Star Wars franchise. She also wanted to relay to the public that, in spite of everything that’s transpired, she’s more hopeful about her son than she has been in many years.

As a mental health attorney who often counsels families of loved ones with serious mental illness, I am heartened by Mr. Lloyd’s story. However, it is worth noting that—in the face of his incredibly difficult circumstances—he benefited from his mother's help that, sadly, isn’t always available to all.

For example:

• He had access to a psychiatrist as early as his teenage years amidst a dire shortage of such mental health practitioners.
• Based on Ms. Lloyd’s accounts, he only spent one stint in jail, while many individuals with mental health issues cycle in and out over and over again.
• He entered into a long-term, specialized treatment facility, an institution that is in short supply and often inaccessible due to its high cost.
• He has a loving, devoted parent who was on top of and realistic about her son’s burgeoning mental health issues.

When serious mental health challenges strike individuals whose loved ones have the means and ability to facilitate access to care, pay for treatment, advocate for hospitalization rather than incarceration, and—overall—provide a foundation of support and stability, there is often light at the end of the tunnel, even in the face of devastating diagnoses. Unfortunately, mental illness does not discriminate. It touches all of us, regardless of social, financial, or political advantages.

Ms. Lloyd’s story is important for other families facing similar circumstances and who need a sense of hope to persevere. But let’s also remember that without a long overdue social safety net, this hope is much more of a challenge than a reality.