June 14th, 2010
And you think I take Star Wars too seriously? Galley Friend T.J. sends notice that a team of French psychiatrists have released a study concluding that Darth Vader was mentally ill.
their report, which was recently published in the medical journal Psychiatry Research, concludes that young Anakin Skywalker exhibited behavior that is consistent with borderline personality disorder, which may in turn explain his decision to embrace the dark side and become Emperor Palpatine’s apprentice.
American shrinks are pushing back, though:
“Anakin shows borderline traits, but these do not persist into his adulthood,” UCLA psychiatrist Dr. H. Eric Bender said. “It’s important to note that any person, when put in highly stressful situations, may display certain traits, such as impulsivity, which are associated with borderline personality disorder.” The paper, he said, failed to prove that Skywalker had “enduring and maladaptive patterns” over the course of his entire lifetime, which would be necessary to adopt a formal diagnosis.
Dr. Sue Varma, assistant professor of psychiatry at the NYU Langone School of Medicine, agrees.
“Teenagers are impulsive and can practice risky behavior,” she said. “They are trying to find out who they are and in playing around with identities, they show characteristics similar to borderline. But this is not enough for a diagnosis. Most teens come out the other side by their 20s.”
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