The Star Wars prequels saw the rise of Anakin Skywalker as powerful Sith lord Darth Vader, and this transformation caught the attention of a group of psychiatrists, who have pointed out the medical conditions he had. Back in 1977, George Lucas introduced the audience to a galaxy far, far away in the film now known as Star Wars: A New Hope. The film was an unexpected hit, making way for two sequels that would form what’s collectively known as the Star Wars original trilogy.
Years later, Lucas decided to expand the Star Wars universe with a prequel trilogy, exploring the life of Anakin Skywalker. The first film, Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, covered his years as a young slave in Tatooine and his rescue by Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn and his apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi; Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones was set ten years later, with Anakin now a Jedi apprentice; and Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith focused on his turn to the dark side and transformation into Darth Vader.
Viewers saw Anakin go from Jedi to Sith, which obviously came with big changes in his behavior and mentality. Anakin had difficulty controlling his anger, which ended up being counterproductive as he hurt Padmé, the one person he wanted to protect. These changes caught the attention of a group of psychologists and psychiatrists, who conducted a study on Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader in which they diagnosed the iconic villain as having borderline personality disorder.
Back in 2007, Dr. Eric Bui, psychiatrist in Toulouse, France, shared at an annual meeting of the American Psychiatric Association that Anakin Skywalker fits the diagnosis criteria: difficulty controlling anger, stress-related breaks with reality, impulsivity, obsession with abandonment, and a “pattern of unstable and intense interpersonal relationships characterized by alternating between extremes of ideation and devaluation”. Another sign pointed out by Bui is that Anakin suffered from an “identity disturbance”, evident in how he transformed into Darth Vader after being unsure of who he was and what he wanted.
Carolyn Kaufman, clinical psychologist in Columbus, Ohio, added that Anakin also suffered from histrionic personality disorder and bipolar disorder, the latter characterized by intense mood swings, with Anakin displaying symptoms of both depression and mania (this one often displayed as irritability rather than the stereotypical happiness). Psychologist Steve Sultanoff also explained Anakin suffered from narcissistic personality disorder, which would be an obstacle when trying to get him to go to therapy. The importance of the study is that it explains why teenagers are so drawn to Anakin Skywalker, as he’s “very similar to them”. It’s unlikely Lucas had all these medical conditions in mind when writing the Star Wars prequels, but they certainly make the character more complex.
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