The Day the Voices Stopped
| Company type | Publishing company |
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| Industry | Publishing |
| Products | Books |
The Day the Voices Stopped: A Schizophrenic's Journey From Madness To Hope is a 2001 memoir published posthumously by Ken Steele and Claire Berman that explores Steele's experience living with schizophrenia and his recovery following treatment with risperidone, an atypical antipsychotic. Released by Basic Books, the narrative follows Steele’s relocation from his hometown to New York City, where he worked as a gay prostitute. Throughout his journey, he endured cycles of homelessness, stays in psychiatric hospitals, residence in halfway houses, employment struggles, alcohol dependency, and multiple suicide attempts while contending with persistent auditory hallucinations. Ultimately, Steele achieved recovery, silencing the voices, and went on to establish a voter mobilization initiative and publish a newspaper in New York City.
Critics have praised the memoir for providing an authentic perspective on schizophrenia and psychiatric institutions from the standpoint of a consumer. The depiction of Steele’s eventual healing offers a hopeful counterpoint to earlier bleak episodes. Publishers Weekly remarked that readers might find the initial sections emotionally taxing before witnessing Steele’s transformation into an advocate for mental health. The Journal of Undergraduate Neuroscience Education recommended this work as one of six autobiographies beneficial for students of neuroscience and psychology. A revised paperback edition was issued in 2002.
Author and background
Ken Steele (1948–2000), recognized as both a mental health consumer and advocate, collaborated with Claire Berman—an author specializing in family dynamics—to produce this book. Steele founded the Mental Health Voter Empowerment Project, which registered 28,000 voters in New York City during the 1996 United States presidential election and expanded its reach nationwide. He also initiated New York City Voices: A Consumer Journal for Mental Health, which reached a readership of 40,000 at the time of publication. During her campaign for the Senate, Hillary Clinton sought Steele’s expertise on mental health matters. Steele passed away from heart disease in Manhattan in October 2000.
The hardcover first edition was published by Basic Books in 2001, followed by an updated paperback release in 2002.
Plot summary
Note: summary reflects the original edition prior to revision
This memoir recounts Steele’s life with schizophrenia, covering his formative years, psychiatric hospitalizations, periods of homelessness, suicide attempts, involvement as a gay prostitute, and eventual improvement facilitated by risperidone treatment. It begins with a foreword by psychiatrist Stephen Goldfinger, who encountered Steele homeless in San Francisco in 1981,[1] and a prologue highlighting Steele’s receipt of the 1999 Clifford W. Beers Award from the National Mental Health Association.[1] At age fourteen, Steele started hearing commanding voices urging him toward suicide.[1] Within months, he made three suicide attempts in one evening.[1] His family doctor diagnosed him with schizophrenia,[1] after which he left high school due to academic failure.[1]
After relocating to New York City,[1] Steele engaged in gay prostitution under the control of Ted and his associate Nick.[1] Following a suicide attempt, he was admitted to Manhattan State Hospital.[1] While confined at Harlem Valley State Hospital, he endured sexual assault while isolated in a seclusion room.[1]
His life involved repeated cycles through institutions and homelessness: Harlem Valley, Manhattan State,[1] Metropolitan State Hospital, and Westborough State Hospital, where he adopted the alias "K. Shannon Steele".[1] He left a halfway house following an incident involving assault on a nurse.[1]
In Chicago, Steele met Karl at a gay nightclub;[1] Karl later died by suicide.[1] Persistent hallucinations caused Steele to discontinue therapy and leave halfway housing.[1] After hospitalization at Pueblo State Hospital,[1] he returned to live with family but soon attempted suicide once more.[1] Following an arrest for disorderly conduct, his father posted bail.[1] He spent two years at Norwich State Hospital.[1]
Seeking to end his life, Steele traveled to San Francisco,[1] where he was admitted to Pacific Presbyterian Medical Center. Upon discharge, he volunteered for Dianne Feinstein's mayoral campaign and joined Alcoholics Anonymous’ Citywide Alcoholism Advisory Board (CAAB),[1] though he resigned due to paranoia about false claims concerning his education being exposed. He subsequently quit his job,[1] and after meeting Goldfinger in 1981 was hospitalized at San Francisco General Hospital.[1]
After eloping from a day treatment program,[1] Steele experienced further cycles through Loma Linda Medical Center,[1], various halfway houses, and hospitals until losing Medi-Cal insurance coverage.[1] While hospitalized in Hawaii, Governor George Ariyoshi appointed him as the inaugural consumer member of the State Council on Mental Health.[1] Paranoia eventually prompted his return to New York City where another suicide attempt led to commitment at Manhattan State.[1]
Applying for Supplemental Security Income enabled him to secure housing,[1] after which he moved into an apartment in Park Slope,[1] beginning therapy under Dr. Rita Seiden.[1] In August 1994, risperidone was prescribed; by May 3, 1995, auditory hallucinations ceased.[1] Subsequently, he founded the Mental Health Voter Empowerment Project which operated in thirty-six states by the time of publication,[1] and assumed leadership of a mental health center newsletter renamed New York City Voices: A Consumer Journal for Mental Health, boasting a circulation of 40,000.[1] The memoir concludes with an afterward contrasting legislative advances such as the Americans with Disabilities Act against ongoing challenges faced by the community.[1]
Reception
The Day the Voices Stopped garnered attention for its authentic insider portrayal of schizophrenia. In the Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal, Phyllis Solomon compared it to Nathaniel Lachenmeyer's The Outsider, emphasizing common motifs such as family estrangement, repeated hospital admissions, homelessness, interactions with law enforcement, and self-treatment. Solomon regarded Steele's journey toward recovery as a source of inspiration. Tom Thompson, a former Kansas state legislator, commended Steele’s compelling firsthand perspectives on psychiatric institutions in his piece for Beyond Behavior.
According to Publishers Weekly, readers may experience emotional fatigue before witnessing Steele’s transformation into an advocate for mental health. Likewise, Jeffrey L. Geller in Psychiatric Services observed that Steele’s life was characterized by repetitive cycles lacking advancement until a late-stage recovery, casting doubt on the effectiveness of earlier psychotherapy and rehabilitation efforts. Kirkus Reviews praised the depiction of the moment risperidone halted his auditory hallucinations as both poignant and elegant, contrasting with the book’s initially somber mood. William Beatty from Booklist noted that Steele’s narrative would strongly resonate with those affected by serious mental illness and provide valuable insight for others.
In the Journal of Undergraduate Neuroscience Education, Palissery and colleagues (2018) included this work among six recommended autobiographies designed to engage students studying neurobiology of disease, highlighting its role in personalizing complex disorders and encouraging academic interest. The book also received a review from Theodore A. Petti in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
See also
External links
- Book Review: The Day the Voices Stopped by Ken Steele and Claire Berman – review featured in City Voices