Comic Relief

November 14, 2007

Apologies if this has been posted here before. This isn't supposed to be a joke,

this is for real! Angel

Darth Vader's Psyche: What Went Wrong?

Anakin Skywalker, Who Became Darth Vader, Had Borderline Personality Disorder,

Psychiatrists Say

(WebMD) Anakin Skywalker, the Star Wars character who became Darth Vader, had

borderline personality disorder, psychiatrists report.

The news comes not from a galaxy far, far away, but from San Diego, where the

American Psychiatric Association (APA) is holding its 160th annual meeting.

Experts from the psychiatric department at France's University Hospital of

Toulouse told the APA's annual meeting that Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader could

" clearly " be diagnosed with borderline personality disorder.

Borderline personality disorder is a serious mental illness marked by

instability in moods, interpersonal relationships, self-image, and behavior,

according to background information on the Web site of the National Institute of

Mental Health (NIMH).

The French psychiatrists — who included t Schmitt, M.D. — based their

diagnosis on original Star Wars film scripts.

Schmitt's team describes Skywalker's symptoms, including problems with

controlling anger and impulsivity, temporary stress-related paranoia, " frantic

efforts to avoid real or imagined abandonment (when trying to save his wife at

all costs), and a pattern of unstable and intense personal relationships, "

including his relationships with his Jedi masters.

Changing his name and turning into " Darth Vader " is a red flag of Skywalker's

disturbed identity, note Schmitt and colleagues.

The researchers aren't suggesting that real people with borderline personality

disorder are Darth Vaders-in-the-making. Skywalker's symptoms are an extreme,

fictional case.

Borderline personality disorder can be treated through psychotherapy and with

medication. But that wasn't part of Skywalker's script.

By Miranda Hitti

Reviewed by Louise Chang, M.D.

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