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June 7th, 2010
12:56 PM ET
What is Darth Vader's diagnosis?
By Elizabeth Landau The manipulations of Anakin Skywalker, also known as Darth Vader in the "Star Wars" saga, have long been ascribed to the Dark Side of the Force. Now, psychiatrists suggests that the actions of the Jedi Knight could be used in teaching about a real-life mental illness. A letter to the editor in the journal Psychiatry Research explores just what is wrong with Vader. French researchers posit that Vader exhibits six out of the nine criteria for borderline personality disorder. Unstable moods, interpersonal relationships, and behaviors are all characteristics of this condition, according to the National Institutes of Mental Health. It affects 2 percent of adults, mostly young women. The young Anakin Skywalker was separated from his mother at an early age, and his father was absent, factors that could have contributed to borderline personality disorder. His "infantile illusions of omnipotence" and "dysfunctional experiences of self and others" are also indicative of this condition from an early age. The researchers argue that Vader experienced two "dissociative episodes," one when he exterminated the Tusken people after his mother's death, and the other when he killed all of the Jedi younglings. He often showed impulsive behavior and had difficulty controlling his anger. He also may have showcased a disturbance in identity by turning to the dark side and changing his name. Darth Vader may thus be used to educate the public about borderline personality disorder and help combat stigma associated with mental illness. But Emory psychiatrist Dr. Charles Raison, CNNhealth.com's mental health expert, has a different take. In the original three movies - which are the last three chronologically - Vader appears to be under the control of an evil emperor, making his character difficult to ascribe to a psychiatric disorder. UPDATE: Dr. Raison would like to clarify that his comment was specific to Darth Vader and not to Anakin Skywalker. "Anakin is a much better exemplar of personality disturbance," he says. "On the other hand Darth Vader laid down his life to save his son and kill the evil emperor when all was said and done. Perhaps there is a lesson here, too, on type casting people who struggle with personality disturbances?"
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My opinion: Anakin was created by the force itself, through an experiment run by Darth Plagueis, he is not a normal human, he hardly can be called human; additionally, he is a fictional character, created by a writer, later developed by other writers, so, he is a sum of minds, you must be very brave to try to psiconanalize so many persons at same time, and especially like if they were one.
Interesting point of view. IMHO Anakin turn to the dark side first, while though that this will help to save Padme alive. If you call sacrifice illness, up to you, but he did it absolutely with full understood. Yes, he was separated from mother and never saw his father and without QuiGon he lost a teacher. Obi Wan wasn’t enough wise for understanding this boy and wasn’t be able to teach in fact. Yoda and Council of Jedis also understood that. Palpatine in opposite was able to teach and won psychological war vs. jedis and Obi Wan personally, while was more motivated then jedis – his apprentice died and he need to find next one.
About dark side, well, you know, maybe this is not good, when somebody becomes dark, but with Anakin it was so, like a destiny. In fact Anakin never was truly lightsider. His jedis period was only stage, before he stepped forward. Force has not only "light" and "dark" side. Exist also "life-giving" followed by QuiGon-Jinn and "potentium" Who knows if QuiGon stay alive, who Anakin can be.
And sure no happy end – this is true story from imagine world.
I find your need to psychoanalyze a science fiction villain and attempt to parlay it into a means of educating the public about personality disorders and mental illness ... disturbing.
Hey Wong, you described our Christian God as one with a disorder, are you a buddhist? Go rub that belly of the statues you carry around.
Everyone is complaining of what a waste of time this discussion is, well have you seen how many comments have been made? Its all in fun. Anakin just needed to sit down with the jedi council and have a few miller lites to hash things out. He didnt have to go and kill everyone like that.
June 7th, 2010 19:43 ET
Anyone – wasn't there a line where Leah and Luke are talking and Luke says something indicating Leah was older than he and she says she remembers their mother a little – which, of course, is way not possible with the sequels meant to be prequels. -sezyou
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Luke never indicates he's older than Leia, no. She does mention something about only having images of her mother, and everyone seems to associate this with Padme since that WAS her mother...BUT no one seems to think that maybe she's just remembering her foster mother from Alderaan, since she thought that was her real mother until the moment Luke tells her differently. She sees that as mother who died when she was very young, and only remembers images of. That makes more sense to me.
Anakin had no mental illness of any kind whatsoever. this is what i call lazy thinking on all these doctors parts. he turned because of the way that he grew up. he was a slave, and knew that it was wrong from the start, so that angered him. he had to leave his mother, which also angered him. most children who go the jedi temple, are never given the chance to know their parents, and for good reason. secondly, love. the jedi are not allowed to love in the manner he wanted to. if you put all that together, it makes for a very angry person who's not necessarily willing to obey orders just because its the right thing to do. plus, palpatine caused him to want and see things, most jedi would never think of. this instance of star wars could not diagnose anyone in real life with anything at all. people these days.
This is an online article written for enjoyment purposes. Since most of you people browse Facebook at work, I don't think it's the biggest deal in the world. Get a sense of humor and stop taking this so seriously. Christ.
Did they take into account that it was just a movie character played by a really bad actor?
Anakin was not conveived like Christ by a 'virgin mary'. In Revenge of the Sith, Palpatine tells Anakin that a Sith Lord, Darth Plagueis, had the ability to use the Dark Side to influence midi-chlorians to create life and to prevent people from dying. Plagueis impregnatated Anakin's mother.
This is hilarious! Thanks for brightening my day.
How is saying Vader had a psychiatric disorder supposed to remove the stigma of mental illness? Isn't the movie designed so we have a dislike of Darth Vader?
This is the reason that psychology should not offer a PhD. The pseudo-science of psychology is a mess at best. And a non-science, psychobabble at worst.
If you don't know enough about Star Wars to know why Anakin changed his name to Darth Vader, then you don't know enough about this fictional character to give a real diagnosis – emphasis on the fictional and real.
Well we must understand that midichlorian levels were off the chart on Anakin Skywalker. There was in imbalance to regulate or control them even after extensive mindfulness meditation training by the Jedi. Combine that with post traumatic stress disorder from the Wars, it is easy to understand that choosing "the Dark Side" is an easy choice for a psychopath. *shrugs*
It's sad for me to read the people who post here are completely ignorant to the reality of mental illness. The article is meant exactly for ignorant masses like yourselves – because you simply don't get it, even though you think you do.
Just because mental illness is inside the brain, just like thoughts are, does not mean people can override a biological-genetic disorder any more than someone can suddenly will away cancer.
I'd like to see some of these ill-informed people who really don't understand anything about people who suffer from mental illness here go up to a person with Alzheimer's, for example, and tell them that if they simply tried hard enough or used their will power more to remember, they wouldn't have problems anymore!!! And I know they wouldn't do that, because they give certain "acceptable" illnesses a free pass and deem other ones "unacceptable" or not really a disorder, like BPD, on a person choosing to be being a failure. The only failures here are the ones who fail to understand.
I never bought the 'immaculate conception' inference regarding Anakin. I mean, come on...mom's a slave, on a desert plant at the far end of the galaxy, in a space port later referred to as a "wretched hive of scum and villiany"....yeahhhhh, there may not have been a "baby daddy", but there was certainly someone to father the child...though it's entirely possible Ani's mom really *doesn't* remember it.
I think he is a narcissist with substance abuse issues. The dark side of the force is like heroin, and anakin was built up to believe he was the next big thing. Not borderline, though.
First, I find it rather disturbing that people are treating Darth Vader as an actual human being, like he really exists/existed in the real world. He's not real, get over it, and move on. Secondly mental illnesses are real, many are caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain, some are caused by injuries to the brain including but not limited to Traumatic Brain Injuries and substance abuse. Just because you can't always see what's wrong doesn't mean that it doesn't have something wrong. What's worse is the fact that many who are mentally ill don't believe that there is something wrong with themselves and that their symptoms are normal. That and several other things which would take too much time to write are the reasons that mental illness has the stigma that it does. It took hundreds of years to get to the point that medicine is today, it will probably take hundreds more for people to fully accept all diagnoses as what they are.
I am disturbed by the premise that Darth Vadar is the poster boy for boderline personality disorder. The whole concept appears to trivilize a serious and often debilitating disease. Fifteen years ago, psychology books taught that a person diagnosed with boderline had no hope for a functional future. I doubt that the current view varies much from the older texts. I think we need to concentrate on each indivdiual patient as to their diagnosis, history, contributing factors, treatment, and potential and leave Darth out of the equation. Perhaps he was just a narcissist.
Anakin didn't have an absent father, he didn't have a father. The prophecy states that the medichlorians (the organisms that allow people to have force powers) would somehow form the chosen one on their own
DO RO'IK VONG PRATTE!
We have wanted to shape the Abomination for a long time to understand his phase shifting. We have narrowed it down to his unstable pineal gland midichlorian complexes affecting his hypothalamus-pituitary axis destabilizing his cortex incurred from his mixed episode Post Traumatic Disorder from the wars, his childhood enslavement and grief/hastened bereavement of his mother.
We have accessed encrypted HoloNets from Darth Sidious, pol dwag kane a bar, with the mind games he ruled over Darth Vader. First telling him he is the "apprentice" then telling him to give up the kid "apprentice". Mass genocide on Kasshykk on the Wookiees, and destruction of Alderaan. Dwi, he has a huge imbalance that can be treated.
As far as his blasphemous Force use – sorcery and parlor tricks! Let's see how strong he is without that of the Force. SEVER his Force powers.
{{Dr. Raison you delved into this world of vitriol and vehement fans. It is like taking away their "canon security blanket" & to heighten awareness. How to deal with this without the "Almighty Plaid Shirt" is to enter into a den of "stalker mentalities and modalities". While I understand why you pursued this for sheer wonderment of "what ifs" and the fun nature of writing these works, chalk this up as motivation to better treat your patients, Honey... Take it from me, I know all too well with this...The harsh banter means you struck a nerve and you are on the right track...}}
@GoddessAST_Lah
Yuuzhan Vong Empire Master Shaper Approved Villip...
oh michael, you are soo wong about the christian god
well let look at the situation for anakin, He screws up he gets one of his bosses killed by some bad dude with bad hair, so instead of fixing the problem and killing the the bad dude with bad hair, he joins the dark side cause once they find out that he did it, he is going to get his butt kicked Jedi style, so then the bad dude with the bad hair now with a bad voice, orders all the troops to kill all jedi, except vader has to now kill his supervisor cause he thinks he is sleeping with his girl, but low and behold he get his butt kicked JEDI style and become a crispy critter, he lost both legs and a arm, and his manhood is now probably a burnt nub, so to add to that probably hasn't nookie for a while. Wouldn't you be angy? I know I would 😛
my prognosis is post traumatic stress disorder, for Anakin, Vader is just a soldier who accepted who and what he was as something to be used, a blunt object, it is easy to accept one's role in the skeem of things, so not to have to take responsibility for one's actions, palpatine told me to, so i did it, its not my fault, remorse behind every word, hammered down words to justify action. kind of those american women who end up accepting their situation with an abusive husband.
anakin was not akin to the dark side until darth sidius seduced him.
"French researchers posit that Vader exhibits six out of the nine criteria for borderline personality disorder." Only 6? I think the border has been crossed by both Vader and these "researchers". What did they use for research equipment – XBox?
Darth Vader is a cartoon character. And here we have a shrink
doing a diagnosis, an infamous one, "borderline personality." This
is a dumping ground can't think of much else to say diagnosis that
recalls the convenience for psychiatry of the "psychopathic personality"
diagnosis. I consider both of these diagnostic labels dangerously
vague and as such potentially damaging and abusive. Wedded
to Darth Vader, well, the plot thickens. The dark side includes ignorance
masquerading as knowledge.
Does anyone here, having written the article or commented otherwise, actually know anyone with BPD or understand how incredibly debilitating it actually is for the people surrounding the person who has this disease??? Do you fully understand the incredible amount of DAILY dysfunction and havoc that it wreaks on those who are subjected to it? To the loved ones of the person that has it and what they are realistically and legitimately subjected to as a result of this illness??? Do you know that there is no real way to tell the person who has BPD that they have it or a way to treat it??? Do you know what the statistics are as it relates to how it is detected and treated??? IT IS FRIGHTENING! And, quite frankly, sad. I am a victim, subjected to the effects of someone with BPD, and the only saving grace that I have received from it is in the knowing that I am not alone in what I am going through. There are books out there, others incredible insight, but there is no cure and no real sign of a medicative form that would help those who have this illness. Talk about the madness...!!!
I am compelled to say one final comment...because I am so affected and so moved... Borderline Personality Disorder is INCREDIBLY SERIOUS and not something to make light of in some form of a movie character or comparison of the sort.
Mel sounds like NAMI or Big Pharma.
It's remarkable–and telling–how threatened Americans are by psychological analyses.
1. Thank God this is just a blog, not a real article.
2. Most people are commenting on this because they are interested in Star Wars, and not anything about the disorder.
3. This is incredibly offensive to me as I have a highly functioning family member who suffers from this disorder and I will highly hope that she does not stumble upon this ridiculous article.
4. If the author of this article can contact me for some clarification, I would really appreciate it.
Thank you.
I would suggest that viewing a movie character that exhibits bad things, and reminds you of someone you care about. Maybe psychiatry has an answer or a clue.
Randi helped me understand someone I cared about.
June 7th, 2010 22:29 ET
If you want to know about borderline personality disorder, I have a web site, http://www.BPDCentral.com. I've written three books about it, also., including Stop Walking on Eggshells.
I wish I could add more to the discussion, but I am not a Star Wars fan. I could, however, talk about real-life celebrities who have BPD, including princess Di and Marilyn Monroe.
Randi Kreger
I can see how this would work with certain clients. At the same time it is pretty funny too!!!!!!! A little humor in mental health is a good thing!!!!!!
A profoundly useful and helpful piece. My own take, however, is Vader's condition is in fact related to an addiction not to Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD).
According to the DSM, BPD is characterized by "A pervasive pattern of instability of interpersonal relationships, self-image and affects, as well as marked impulsivity, beginning by early adulthood and present in a variety of contexts...". Vader is very stable in his interpersonal relationships - he has no relationships, except with his master, and that isn't unstable. Sure he eventually got fired, but that was after a few decades. That's hardly unstable. His self-image took one major shift, when he changed from Anakin to Vader. But aren't we all allowed a little change of personality in adolescence without being accused of a personality disorder? His affect is stable - a scary grouch. And rather than being impulsive, he is methodical and systematic. To destroy planets, he takes his time building death stars and even when he approaches people to kill them, he is quite calculated and in full control to stop, eg, when the Grand Moth Tarkin asked him to stop choking that annoying general.
"A person with BPD may experience intense bouts of anger, depression, and anxiety that may last only hours, or at most a day. These may be associated with episodes of impulsive aggression, self-injury, and drug or alcohol abuse. Distortions in cognition and sense of self can lead to frequent changes in long-term goals, career plans, jobs, friendships, gender identity, and values." (NIMH)
My own take is that while Vader is stable. Stable in aggression and cognition. He has very long-term goals for his career / job: he wants eternal life and to be the second most powerful master of the universe. His loyalty and commit to his focus and master are more stable than almost anyone.
The case for addiction:
"Drug addiction is a state of periodic or chronic intoxication produced by the repeated consumption of a drug (natural or synthetic). Its characteristics include: (i) an overpowering desire or need (compulsion) to continue taking the drug and to obtain it by any means; (ii) a tendency to increase the dose; (iii) a psychic (psychological) and generally a physical dependence on the effects of the drug; and (iv) detrimental effects on the individual and on society." (WHO)
"When an individual persists in use of alcohol or other drugs despite problems related to use of the substance, substance dependence may be diagnosed. Compulsive and repetitive use may result in tolerance to the effect of the drug and withdrawal symptoms when use is reduced or stopped. This, along with Substance Abuse are considered Substance Use Disorders..." (DSM)
Vader, rather than being BPD, suffers from addiction. The substance is the "Dark Side of the force" - an energy source that can only be felt directly by those trained to perceive it. The seductive powers of the Dark Side, much like alcohol or other drugs, created a significant dependence to practices that increase his experience of it and his allegiance to his drug supplier – the emperor. By doing the will of the Dark Side, Vader gets bigger and bigger hits of its powers. He is able to cover over the guilt of killing his friends and colleagues, as well as covering over the painful belief that he is responsible for his fiancee's death.
Effective treatment should take two parts. First Vader should join an Addicts Anonymous group. While it would help if the other participants were addicted to the Dark Side who have intentions to rule the universe, Vader may eventually find himself able to relate to the common junkie. Secondly, Vader should have intensive therapy to address the underlying issues that have been covered by his addiction, e.g., the loss of his mother and his guilt.
If this perspective of addictions were more commonly appreciated, many others may benefit from appropriate treatment, eg, Gollum who has been poorly diagnosed by many as schizophrenic when in fact he too is an addict.
Elizabeth Landau is a rebel spy, and a traitor. She has the Death Star plans, and must be captured!
Thanks for bringing the issue of BPD to the forefront even though in a lighter vien ..I believe that public awareness of this condition is a very important step towards helping those who are going through this condition and above all those who have to live with people with this condition....After 12 year living unaware, with a person with this condition I have reached a point where myself and my children have been manipulated to the point that all the blame for breakdown is being put on my shoulders... The non-awareness of this condition in the family court system also makes things worse for the victims of this condition to prove it and then get justice
Many times the diagnosis, says more about the clinician than it does about the affected person or the disorder.
WOW! REALLY!!!!!! All I can say is.....get a freakin life people!!! It's a MOVIE!!!!!!! Ya know made up, as in NOT REAL!!!!!!!
How about doing an analysis on a living but fictional character. Obama is a living character but a fictional president. Let's evaluate how he has manipulated an entire country with the help of the mainstream media, while having the time of his life partying like there is no tomorrow. The way he is taking us, there may soon not be a tomorrow.
The FRENCH just can’t help themselves. In recent years we’ve seen the French bow to terrorists, and be apologists for some of the world’s most ruthless mass murdering dictators while calling American’s monsters for wanting to stop them. But I had no idea this character flaw ran so deep in the French that they had to start doing it for fictional characters. According to French researchers, Darth Vader from Star Wars isn’t an evil monster who needs to be defeated in order to save the known universe. They concluded he is the victim of mental illness and needs therapy. Who are they going to apologize for next? And no I am NOT taking them seriously. I just found the irony that the researchers doing this are French very amusing if not true to form.
Actually, you will probably find that Darth Vader fits more with Antisocial Personality Disorder.
This is what researchers have been reduced to? This is waht CNN has been reduced to? And this is what we, as readers, have been reduced to? We are doomed as a race.
That is so funny, I could not stop laughing, I guess Lord Voldmort has one too, May be Darth Vader and him should get together.
What a movie that would make.
On a serious note, I think all Evil people have some very serious personality problems that need to be addressed. And many are not.
News flash! He is a FICTIONAL CHARACTER! can you guys spend your times solving problems that can actually help the world, or are you doing Lord of the Rings next?
i like how scientists are wasting time and money on diagonsing disorders to FAKE PEOPLE. Yea because we don't have any else to do, like i don't know find a cure to cancer
they never take the time to exam the reasons, do they? oh, this is gonna be a big paragraph. the young anakin skywalker was separated from his mother, but got over it. he never had a father, so there couldnt be one to be absent. and how is it bad for him killing the tuskens? the tuskens tortured anakin's mother and terrorize the people of tatooine, so what, should anakin be happy that his mother was killed? the tuskens deserved it and were getting justice, anaking was not suffereing from a disorder there. the killing of the jedi younglings was an order from the new emperor, not a decision he had to make. also, vader is not under the emperor's control because, when return of the jedi was released, people saw that vader wanted to have his son stand by his side, kill the emperor, and become the new rulers of the galaxy. even in "the force unleashed" game, vader had ideas of killing the emperor so he could take charge. serving the emperor was something he did until he could get the chance to kill the emperor. the way i see it, psychiatrists think that if your evil, kill people, or even get angry, you suffer from a mental disorder. i sort of see this as a politics thing, where the sith are the fascists and the jedi are the liberals (although sometimes the jedi display a bit more right-wing acts)
Way to create more stigma for an already stigmatized diagnosis.
Are you kidding, Mr.Obvious?!? It's an extremely effective method of relating real-life problems and disorders to famous characters. Particularly when the character has exaggerated issues that are easily recognizable by the student.
For Pete sakes he was taken over by the DARK SIDE, (a.k.a. Demon Posession) see the BIG picture
I'm sure Mr. Vader suffered from some depression along the way. not to mention" Paranoia, a tinge of anxiety, and a lil Shift Work Sleep Disorder.
I think I'm gonna write a lil somet'in myself to the Journal
B Wesley