State asylums' psychiatric records are often hard to get

Frustrated family members and others have been pushing for law changes in New York and other states that would allow the release of mental health records of long-dead ancestors.

Their efforts have resulted in access policy changes in some states, including Massachusetts and Washington, but elsewhere reforms are happening slowly or not at all.

Such records have drawn the interest of some people whose families are struggling with depression, suicide or other issues.

They hope to learn more about their ancestors' history of mental health problems.

But many of those records are hard to get.

New York allows such records to stay sealed “in perpetuity.”