PALS FEAR DESPERATE DOWNEY IS SUICIDAL

Concerned pals of Robert Downey Jr. say they fear the drug-plagued
star is so depressed, he may try to commit suicide.

Downey is due in court tomorrow on felony drug charges stemming from
his arrest last month after cops said they found him high - and with a
stash of cocaine and methamphetamine - in a Palm Springs, Calif., hotel room.

It could mean another prison stretch for the 35-year-old actor, who is
currently starring in "Ally McBeal" - something Downey isn't sure he
can face.

"Every time he comes out [of rehab] and starts using again, Robert
hates himself a little more," one friend told the British Press
Association.

"Now he's likely to have to go back to prison, and he feels saving
himself from his addictions is impossible - so he's been telling
people his life isn't worth living.

"Robert knows he's self-destructive, and now he's saying, 'I might as
well just speed the whole thing up and take myself out for good.'"

Shortly after his Thanksgiving-weekend bust, Downey reportedly checked
himself into Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles for treatment
of depression.

But now that he's out again and possibly facing jail, his friends have
made a pact to keep an eye on him 24 hours a day.

Another friend worries that even with close supervision, Downey may be
getting help that's "too little and too late" to save his life.

His struggle with addiction has been going on for more than 10 years,
and he has been in rehab more than six times.

Now free on $15,000 bail, Downey faces a maximum of 56 months in
prison if convicted on the latest charges.

Downey had just been getting his career back on track - besides the
highly visible role on "Ally McBeal," he planned to star on stage in
"Hamlet," directed by Mel Gibson.

His drug hell became public in 1996, when he was stopped for speeding
and cops found cocaine, heroin and a pistol.

A month later, he was found passed out in a neighbor's
home.

Three days after that, he was busted for leaving a drug-rehab
center.

In August 1999, Downey was sentenced to three years in the slammer for
violating his probation by missing drug tests.

He was released last summer after Hollywood pals insisted he was well
again and a California appeals court ruled he had served enough time
to fulfill his sentence.

Downey earned an Oscar nomination for his performance in the title
role of the acclaimed 1992 screen bio "Chaplin."