Ken Steele Schizophrenia Case Study

Ken Steele for 32 years suffered from schizophrenia. At age 14, he started having auditory hallucinations which commanded him to kill himself. Steele describes the voices as overwhelming and that ‘day after day, I failed about an ocean of sound’ (Steele & Berman, 2001, p. 9) which pushed for responses. An instance he describes which happened at dinner table and he unwittingly responded to the command auditory hallucinations out loud in front of his family. After which he was commanded by the voices to run away but he returns home instead. Upon returning, his parents take him to a doctor and then receives his diagnosis of schizophrenia. Steele repeats this pattern of responding and following through on his voices but has a change which pushes

As well as it’s connections to other aspects of his life experience. The DSM-5 symptom criteria require for the presence of two or more symptoms for a one-month period. Symptoms including delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech, grossly disorganized or catatonic behavior, and/or negative symptoms (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). The opening of the memoir is of how he experienced the onset of voices he could hear. He was listening to the radio and then he heard “Kill yourself… Set yourself on fire (Steele & Berman, 200, pg. 1).” He describes that he thought he was having a nightmare, but it wasn’t possible because he was awake, and the voices were distinctly not his and very clear (Steele & Berman, 200, pg. 1)”. He describes that these hallucinatory voices would grow in his head “shriller and louder until [he] felt [he] was drowning in sound” (Steele & Berman, 2001, pg. 2).” The voices seemed to also emanate from individuals like his science teacher and that he would be hearing his homeroom teacher tell him to kill himself every time she called his name for attendance roll (Steele & Berman, 2001, pg. 24). Throughout he provides examples of what his voices would command and that it came

It is a bit dated for how one may navigate or utilize state mental health facilities that Steele had for most of his life. Though still not perfect more safeguards and oversight have been placed as well as alternative treatment places/ plans. A change in how facilities function and how facilities provide care shifted from the time of many of Steele’s experiences. From the years Steele went in and out of state facilities, the main function was for long-term care noted even by Steele’s physician who gave his diagnosis. Steele describing his doctor said, “There’s only one treatment for is illness: long-term care in a state institution’ (Steele & Berman, 2001, pg. 27).” This isn’t the case in this day and age. A shift has taken in place in treating illnesses like schizophrenia such as a greater emphasis on medications for treatment of symptoms. In addition, a greater use of community-based alternatives to help facility a care that “focus on increasing consumers’ ability to successfully cope with life’s challenges, on facilitating recover, and on building resilience, not just managing symptoms” (Eckart, 2010). A change to the facilities also took place due to the United States Supreme Court case Olmstead vs. L.C. decision that requirement of institutionalization to receive support and services violates the civil rights of Americans with disabilities (Eckart, 2010). As well that if support and services are