Families push to access sealed mental hospital records

For decades, Breta Meria Conole lived in a New York state psychiatric hospital, but the reason why has remained a mystery to her descendants. Debby Hannigan, her great grandniece, spent years trying to access Conole’s medical records in hopes of uncovering clues about the mental health issues that run in her family, including her oldest daughter’s depression. Hannigan wrote to the state twice, once with a supporting note from her daughter’s therapist, but each time her request was denied.

Hannigan’s experience is part of a larger struggle faced by many families across the United States. Descendants of people who were confined to state mental institutions are pushing for changes in laws that keep those historical medical records sealed, often for decades or even permanently. While some states, including Massachusetts and Washington, have revised their policies to allow greater access to older records, progress in other states has been slow or nonexistent. “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!’” said Doug Clarke of Alfred, New York, who unsuccessfully sought the records of a...