In New York and other states, families are pressing for changes that would allow descendants to access long-deceased relatives’ psychiatric records—where prior access rules often block requests. The reporting describes how families can be turned away despite therapeutic notes suggesting the records could help explain mental health patterns, including depression and bipolar disorder. The issue spotlights a compliance and privacy tension relevant to higher education systems that serve students with complex family histories, since institutional support often depends on accurate, accessible health documentation. Reform efforts have moved in some states, including Massachusetts and Washington, but remain slow or incomplete elsewhere.