'Star Wars' child star Jake Lloyd has been receiving treatment at a mental health facility for the past 10 months ... according to his mother.
Lisa Lloyd says her son -- famous for playing young Anakin Skywalker in 1999's "Episode I: The Phantom Menace" -- began his inpatient program in March 2023. She told Scripps News Monday, he'd been experiencing a psychotic break while they were driving home after making a McDonald's run.
Lisa recounted how Jake, now 35, expressed a desire to turn off the car, and unsettlingly, proceeded to carry out the act while they were in the middle of 3 lanes of traffic ... leading to a tumultuous exchange of yelling and screaming between Jake and her.
The incident caused a major traffic jam, prompting other drivers to call 911, and when cops arrived on the scene, they asked Jake a bunch of questions to get deets surrounding the incident.
However, Lisa says Jake was unable to make sense of the officers' questions ... describing them as a "word salad." Hearing a jumble of incoherent speech is often associated with conditions like schizophrenia, which Jake was diagnosed with back in 2008.
Jake was admitted to the hospital that day ... and later entered the rehab facility for an extended 18-month stay to battle his demons.
Thankfully, there's good news regarding his progress -- Lisa says he's doing great, even exceeding her expectations by relating to people better and becoming a bit more social.
You'll remember ... Jake's faced his fair share of challenges over the years. In June 2015, he was arrested, spent 10 months in prison, and later sought psychiatric help following a cross-county chase that ended with him crashing the car.