Darth Vader's Diagnosis

[Balrog]

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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 Tuskan 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?"

Thought it was pretty funny and interesting, and it seems like our very own Mr. Wong thought so too:

If you want to analyze a fictional character for severe personality disorders, I would suggest looking at the Christian God. His mood swings, extreme hair-trigger temper and propensity toward violence are followed up in the New Testament by effusive generosity of spirit: a cycle which is almost exactly like the classic abuse/compensation cycle of violent husbands and fathers.

As for Anakin, he seems like a classic example of someone who is just really self-centred. His rages explode in situations where he cannot get what he wants. He has dreams about the way things should be in his life, and when something happens to ruin those dreams, he goes berserk and lashes out with a huge temper tantrum. Sort of like the Christian God with his various plagues and floods.

[Guardsman Bass]

The analysis seems pretty sharp on Anakin's personality problems. It's one of the things that comes through not just in the movies, but also in the novelization. I'm not sure how well he "dissociated" from the Tuskan killing, though - in the novelization, at least, it's one of the things that haunts him, along with the death of his mother.

My view is that it was a self-reinforcing cycle: his anger and hatred would lead him to use the Dark Side, which would then become easier for him because using it is addictive, and because it reinforces the parts of your personality that you use to draw upon. This made him even more warped, allowing him to more easily use the Dark Side, and so on.