The American public is increasingly conscious of the importance of mental health.
Common mental health issues, such as depression and anxiety, don't carry the stigma that they used to.
Similarly, people increasingly see drug and alcohol addiction as conditions to be treated rather than scorned.
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And although Congress typically moves slower than the American people, Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., is optimistic that he can scrape together a bipartisan coalition to push through a major reform of the nation's mental health policy.
A recent spate of mass shootings is helping to drive the initiative.
Not only have mental health advocates highlighted the tragedies as the consequence of untreated mental illness, but pro-gun forces, including the National Rifle Association, have sought to dissuade Congress from imposing new gun restrictions by suggesting that it focus instead on mental health.
Murphy's bill would allot grants to states to focus on early intervention for children who demonstrate various risk factors. It would also expand mental care in Medicaid and Medicare and provide grants to states to promote integration of physical and mental health services.
Finally, it would designate an assistant secretary of mental health and substance abuse.
Another bill sponsored by Sen. John Cornyn, R-Tex., the Number 2 Republican in the Senate, is more ostensibly focused on preventing gun violence. It would provide grants to states that send mental health records to the national background check database.
Murphy is not willing to view mental health reform as a substitute for gun control, however.
"We shouldn't fool ourselves that we are going to cure the nation's epidemic of gun violence by fixing a broken mental health system," he told the Hill.
But amidst the bitter partisan divisions that have paralyzed Capitol Hill in recent years, finding anything that everybody can agree on is a victory. Murphy touted the coalition backing the reforms as one that reflected the entirety of America's increasingly polarized political spectrum.
"It's really progressives, moderates, conservatives all together, and that will be a pretty important signal to leadership," he said.
The bills are not without controversy, however.
A bill similar to Murphy's that is being introduced in the House would make substantial changes to health privacy laws in an effort to allow family members and caregivers easier access to critical health records. At least one prominent Democrat, Rep. Frank Pallone, of New Jersey, has voiced opposition to the privacy implications.
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