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After the state of California fined her employer $4 million in 2013 for violating the legal rights of mental health patients, Oakland psychologist Melinda Ginne expected her job — and her patients’ lives — to get better. Instead, she said, things got worse. (Gold, 8/13)

A top state official says Iowa is providing better mental health care after an overhaul of the system, though critics question the recent closure of two state-run mental health institutes. Department of Human Services Director Chuck Palmer told an advisory board Wednesday that Iowa’s mental health system was serving more people and providing more modern care. The effort to remake the system began in 2011 and was implemented last year. (8/12)

Everyone told Cynthia Firtik's family that she should be placed in residential care. Firtik has battled major depression for years. The type of depression that made it hard for her to function in everyday life, leaving her isolated and hopeless. A relative recommended Firtik go to Ecker Center for Mental Health, a community mental health center headquartered on Elgin's west side. (Casas, 8/12)