Why Descendants of 500,000 Patients Still Can’t Access State Psychiatric Hospital Records

When Breta Meria Conole entered a New York state psychiatric hospital in the 1960s, her descendants have spent decades seeking the state psychiatric hospital records that might explain a family history of depression.

Access to State Psychiatric Hospital Records Remains Blocked

Debby Hannigan, Conole’s great‑grandniece, filed two formal requests with the New York Office of Mental Health. The second request even attached a therapist’s note urging release to clarify her daughter’s medical background. Both were denied, a pattern echoed by dozens of families across the nation.

“It really does piss me off that we couldn’t just say, ‘Hey, we’re the descendants, here’s the proof, now tell us what you know!’” – Doug Clarke, Alfred, NY

These denials sit atop a grim legacy. By the late 19th century, every state operated at least one asylum, admitting people for reasons ranging from “brain fever” to “religious excitement.” Overcrowding, forced restraints, lobotomies, and induced comas marked the era. Yet staff kept meticulous notes, photographs, and admission logs—an archive that could illuminate modern mental‑health genetics.

Why the Records Stay Hidden

The 1996 federal HIPAA law shields patient information for ↑ 50 years after death. New York’s statutes go further, sealing records “in perpetuity” except for immediate family members. Ohio and Maine allow access after the same ↑ 50-year window, but New York and Massachusetts only recently eased restrictions: Massachusetts now opens files older than ↑ 75 years following a commission report on historic abuses.

Sen. Pat Fahy (D‑NY) has introduced legislation to reclassify records older than ↑ 50 years as historic, stripping them of privacy protections. “If the person is deceased, there should be an availability of these records to help give the family closure,” Fahy told Reuters.

Researchers argue the data could aid clinicians. Dr. Christine Moutier of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention notes, “Knowing a grandfather died of a heart attack helps you be vigilant.” Families also turn to genealogy sites, military pension files, and historic newspaper archives for clues.

In the 1950s, the United States institutionalized ↓ 500,000 individuals in state hospitals. Their descendants, spread across the country, are now lobbying for transparency while the nation still grapples with the aftermath of the pandemic and its mental‑health toll.

For more on the legal fight, see AP News coverage of recent state‑level reforms.

Correction: An earlier dispatch misstated the year of the Massachusetts law change.

Reported by Dr. Silas Mercer (Biotech & Longevity Editor).