Federal privacy and antidiscrimination laws restrict how universities can deal with students who have mental health problems.

For the most part, universities cannot tell parents about their children's problems without the student's consent. They cannot release any information in a student's medical record without consent. And they cannot put students on involuntary medical leave, just because they develop a serious mental illness.[snip]

College officials say that a growing number of students arrive on campus with a history of mental-health problems and a prescription for psychotropic drugs. But screening for such problems would be illegal, admissions officers say.

"We're restricted by the disabilities act from asking," said Rick Shaw, Stanford's admissions director.  [snip]

Federal laws also restrict what universities can reveal. Generally, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, Ferpa, passed in 1974, makes it illegal to disclose a student's records to family members without the student's authorization.

"Colleges can disclose a student's private records if they believe there's a health and safety emergency, but that health and safety exception hasn't been much tested in the courts, so it's left to be figured out case by case," Ms. Fleming said.

And the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act prohibits the release of medical records. "The interaction of all these laws does not make things easy," she said.