After combing through the gunman's psychiatric or psychological records in the wake of last week's shooting rampage at Fort Hood, Texas, investigators found the gunman, like others before him in this nation's recent history, had some serious mental issues.

Having spent three decades as a clinical psychologist, Pittsburgh Congressman Tim Murphy is one of only a handful of members of Congress with a background in health care. He also serves as a Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Navy Reserve Medical Service Corps, working with wounded warriors with Traumatic Brain Injury and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.Following the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre in Newtown, Conn., in 2012, House Republican leaders asked Murphy to put together legislation to reform the nation's mental health care system. Murphy reported that the system is broken, unable to address the millions of people with mental illness who are without treatment, often homeless or in prison. A shortage of psychiatrists or psychologists compounds the problem.Murphy determined it can't be fixed simply by throwing a little money at the patchwork of community clinics and state hospitals that are chronically short of funding.Last Thursday, just a day after the Fort Hood shooting, the House Energy and Commerce health subcommittee heard testimony on the Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act, the bill proposed by Murphy. Provisions include streamlining payment for services under the Medicaid program, providing funds for clinics that meet standards for rigorous, scientifically supported care, increased training for police officers and emergency medical workers in how to identify and treat people with mental disorders. It also provides money for so-called telepsychiatry, or remote video therapy, which would benefit rural areas.According to a coming analysis by the Treatment Advocacy Center, a nonprofit group that favors expanded access to treatment, about 350,000 with a diagnosis of a severe mental illness like schizophrenia or bipolar disorder are in state jails and prisons, while the number of psychiatric beds available has shrunk to 35,000. Murphy said that trading the hospital bed for the jail cell is one of the broken pieces in the broken system.Congress needs to heed the advice of one of their own members in Rep. Murphy, an expert in the field. For motivation, look no further than two mass shootings in five years at Fort Hood, one of the largest military installations in the world.By Jim Zbickeditor@tnonline.com