Opinion ID: 887609
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: K. detained at MSH until the hearing.

Text: ¶6 The sole witness at the commitment hearing was G. Michael Sawicki, II, a licensed clinical social worker and certified mental health professional. A.K.’s counsel objected on hearsay grounds to the admission of any testimony by Sawicki about a page attached to the end of Fisher’s consultation summary and to admission of that page, and the District Court sustained the objection. Sawicki testified he had reviewed Fisher’s case notes and information, and also consulted with Caldwell before conducting “a mini mental status exam, a diagnostic interview, a very brief risk assessment, and a fairly brief psychosocial history” of A.K. that morning. He concluded that A.K.’s reported symptoms and his observations were consistent with a diagnosis of bipolar disorder with a recent manic episode. Sawicki also diagnosed A.K. as mildly mentally retarded with a suggestion of borderline personality disorder. When asked if these diagnoses caused A.K. to be a danger to herself or others, Sawicki responded that A.K.’s judgment and impulse control were profoundly impaired and that her cognitive delay put her at significant risk, due to being easily influenced and 3 suggestible; in Sawicki’s opinion, A.K.’s ability to defend or protect herself was “more at a childlike level.” ¶7 The County Attorney next asked Sawicki whether A.K.’s conduct on one night the previous week of drinking rather heavily and being in the company of people she did not know was an example of her lack of ability to protect herself. Sawicki answered: [A]ny of us could go and drink too much and end up at the wrong place at the wrong time. In this case, however, I feel it is profound in that that event happened and that she lacked the insight, or concern or worry, when recollecting it, she lacked the capacity to grasp how dangerous that situation and that behavior ultimately can be. Thereafter, the District Court sustained hearsay objections by A.K.’s counsel to testimony about A.K.’s conduct in the past and any other information in Fisher’s report. In further response to inquiries by A.K.’s counsel and the County Attorney, Sawicki testified he could not identify or point to a single recent overt act that would have initiated the interview by Fisher or police involvement with A.K. ¶8 The District Court subsequently entered brief and conclusory findings of fact regarding A.K.’s condition. It also found that no treatment facilities less restrictive than MSH were available for A.K.’s care and treatment. The District Court ultimately ordered A.K. committed to MSH for a period not to exceed 90 days. A.K. appeals.