"Nothing can be said about mental illness issues because of the federal HIPPA laws(the privacy act)."
Not true, in Illinois, you have to get a FOID card (Firearm Owner's ID) before you can possess a firearm. They specifically ask whether you have a patient in a mental institution or "adjudicated as a mental defective." (also about drug addiction, criminal background, etc.). Of course you could lie, and I don't know how close they check.