An alarming “widespread lack of understanding” about state and federal privacy laws blocked critical information about gunman Seung-Hui Cho’s mental health from being shared with Virginia Tech officials, medical personnel and his family, a report on the April 16 massacre at the Blacksburg university said.

The findings, released late Wednesday night, recommend changes to privacy laws that would make it easier for university officials and health care personnel to access the medical records of troubled students. But the breakdowns that allowed Cho to go without significant treatment, despite years of disturbing behavior, lie in the laws’ complexity and inconsistent enforcement.

“The problems presented by a seriously troubled student often require a group effort,” the report said. “The current state of information privacy law and practice is inadequate to accomplish that task.”

Cho, who shot 32 students and faculty to death before committing suicide, had a long history of mental illness that may have begun when he was a toddler. But no one linked information about his counseling and disturbing writings and actions to determine that he could pose a serious danger to himself and society.

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In December 2005, Cho was questioned by university police after telling his roommates he might kill himself. The police could have divulged to the university or his parents that a hearing on Cho’s mental health had been scheduled because of the incident. That never occurred, and university officials who learned of his graphic, violent writings in an English class months later had no idea he previously harbored suicidal thoughts.

“No one knew all the information and no one connected all the dots,” the report said.

The report also said that most record-keepers are so fearful of prosecution for releasing privileged information that they err on the side of secrecy. The report recommended that state and federal lawmakers give immunity to individuals who mistakenly divulge protected records as long as they are acting in good faith.

“It is imperative that these laws be explored to give clear instruction to people working in the field about what information may be shared if doing so might keep people safe,” said Gov. Tim Kaine, who created the review panel that produced the report.

jrogalsky@dcexaminer.com