Update on New York’s mandate on reporting of patients

"The law was a reaction to the shootings in Connecticut and was not well thought out," Mr. Wolkenbreit said.

It is estimated that most of the reports filed with the directors of community services go on to be filed with the justice system. In only a small number of cases have the reports resulted in the removal of guns from owners – Mr. Wolkenbreit was quick to say that he did not have access to these statistics. He was able to say that mental health professionals have not been happy with the reporting requirements. He did not know whether SAFE Act legislation has made a difference in firearms violence.

I spoke with Benjamin Rosen, director of public information for the New York State Office of Mental Health. Mr. Rosen directed me to some informational websites and spoke with me twice, kindly calling me back to follow up. Unfortunately, he did not have any statistics and said those numbers would have to be collected from each of the 57 counties and New York City. He noted that such information is not generally released, and if he does provide more details down the line, there will be another follow-up column here on Shrink Rap News.

As much as the idea of mandatory reporting of patients "likely to be dangerous" is distasteful to mental health professionals, New York state has passed this law, and the experiment has begun. The fear is that it will deter people from seeking care, a concern that some are quick to dismiss. Since we don’t have the answers as to how difficult such laws are to implement and what impact they have, this is extremely important work that New York is doing. It is crucial that other states have access to their experience and results to guide policy.

In Maryland, a similar reporting law was proposed last year, and it was not passed. If patient reporting and keeping guns from the dangerous mentally ill, however, result in changes in suicide and/or gun violence rates, in either direction, this needs to be made public. Either way, it’s important for New York to be the leader on this issue and help to guide policy across the country.

Dr. Miller is a coauthor of "Shrink Rap: Three Psychiatrists Explain Their Work" (Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2011).