The country’s inadequate mental health system gets the most attention after instances of mass violence of the sort that the nation has seen repeatedly over the past few months. Not all who commit these sorts of atrocities are mentally ill, but many have been. After each, the national discussion quickly, but temporarily, turns toward the mental health services that may have failed to prevent another attack.

Mental illness usually is not as dangerous or dramatic. Nearly 23 million Americans live with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or major depressive disorder, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. Very few of these men and women are potential mass murderers; they need help for their own well-being and for that of their families. A few, though, need services that will keep them from harming themselves or others. The nation’s health system needs to do better at treating all types.

The Affordable Care Act has significantly increased insurance coverage for mental health care. But that may not be enough to expand access to sparse mental health care resources. Besides, the government is already spending billions on mental illness treatment; it has an interest in making sure taxpayers get results.

Rep. Tim Murphy, R-Pa., has a bill that would do so. The Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act would reorganize the billions the federal government pours into mental health services, prioritizing initiatives backed by solid evidence and tracking their success.

And it would push states to adopt policies that allow judges to order severely mentally ill people to undergo treatment. Murphy’s reform package may not prevent the next Sandy Hook or Franklin Regional. But the changes would help relieve a lot of suffering that doesn’t make the front page.