Families seeking mental-health records tied to long-deceased relatives say restrictive state policies have blocked access, leaving descendants without clarity about family conditions and treatment history. A report on New York and other states highlights cases where relatives repeatedly requested records for guidance on depressive disorders and bipolar symptoms but were denied. Advocates argue reforms are uneven across states and have been slow. Some jurisdictions have altered access policies, including Massachusetts and Washington, but others lag—creating patchwork rights that can shape how colleges’ disability services and healthcare providers understand documented histories, especially when students transition from family-reported context to formal accommodation. The underlying issue—how mental health documentation is governed for posterity—remains a policy and compliance challenge for states and institutions that handle sensitive records and may increasingly serve students with complex family histories.