State confidentiality laws: the Illinois Act as model for new legislation in other states

Confidentiality laws of most states are in need of a thorough review. They lack consistency in the treatment of recipients of mental health services, and they frequently provide no guidelines at all on significant issues. The newly adopted Illinois Act serves as an example of the work of mental health professionals in the passage of new legislation; it is suggested as a model for those seeking to draft new confidentiality codes for other states.