How do I access records of mental health care given to me?

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I'm almost 21 years old now. I had a mental breakdown at 17 years old as a minor. I want to get my records of the behaviors I had, the medication they forced me to take, and more when I had the mental breakdown.

Why?

According to multiple people, including a native from Germany, when I was ill I was speaking fluent German and I knew the countryside "like a native would". I never had exposure to the German language or geography to do this. Not only that, but I had memories of WWII Germany during the mental illness. Really bad ones. I refused to go to the shower cause I thought I'd be killed, etc.

I'm a hardcore atheist, and I definitely am not a believer in past life times. But, if this is true... I think the more logical explanation is that these people might be exaggerating how much German I knew. I want to prove this to myself.

Would mental health professionals, if they really did see a valid case of xenoglossia, be obligated by medical privacy practices to not report it?

I just feel really conflicted at the moment, and I just want to put this to rest. I was too ill to know what truly happened.

If you have a family doctor you should be able to get any old records he has of you or if your school board still has your school records you could ask them if you could have them.

You have a right to your medical records. Now, institutions being what they are, an employee in charge of records is likely to view it as extra work, as something they might be criticized for, etc. I guess some people might think I have a cynical view of institutions. I think I actually have a pretty realistic view.

So, the first time you contact the institution, they may give you sone bs 'reasonable'-sounding reason why they can't release the records. It will probably be more frustrating if you do this over the phone. A straightforward letter might be better.

Or, the possibility lostgirl1986 opens up. If you have a good relationship with your general practitioner, he or she could make this request for you. I mean, think how a rich person would handle this, he or she would staff it out to an administrative person or a lawyer if need be. They wouldn't frustratingly deal with the institution themselves. It's kind of an unstated sign of power to use an advocate. This advocate can be your regular doctor, a family member, or maybe even a friend (and some periods of my life I have not had a friend). Maybe three years down the road we could have autism self-advocacy organizations where volunteers could help with some of this as another positive opening.

I know I am trying to get a hold of my records, particularly all my mental health records. I've been told they will not give them to you directly but you have to sign release forms to have copies sent to your primary care doctor and that doctor has to decide whether it's in your best interest to see the files or not. Thats for mental health records, I think medical records are easier to obtain.