DR. WALLACE: I'm a guy who will be a junior in high school this fall. I'm really lucky because I have the natural talent to be an outstanding baseball player. I'm a great pitcher, and I also play first base and can hit. Our high school team reached the regional playoff quarterfinals this past year, and I was a starter on the team as a sophomore. Our coach and all of us players believe we can win the regional championship and maybe even compete for the state championship during the next school year.

But I have a problem, I live with my single mother, and my father lives 800 miles away from us. My mom got a job promotion, and she wants us to move this summer to a city 70 miles away from our present hometown. If I move with her, this means I cannot play on our championship-caliber high school baseball team next year.

I've spoken to my father about this issue, but he tells me there's not much he can do since he and my mother don't get along, and she has full custody over me.

I really don't want to move 70 miles away and attend another high school. Is there anything I can do to remain playing for my current high school baseball team next year? — I Want to Stay and Play, via email

I WANT TO STAY AND PLAY: Of course, you could try out for a new high school baseball team in the city your mother will move to. And if you end up going to another high school with your level of talent, you'll no doubt get a lot of playing time. But having said that, I understand fully where you're coming from. The key here is receiving permission from your mother, since at your age, she has full control over your living situation.

The best thing I can do is recommend to you that you speak to your coach and school administrators and see if they would be willing to have a sit down discussion with your mother, and perhaps they could help place you in a home with one of your teammates or another responsible family that your mother might approve of. If this were to work out, I would recommend that every Friday after school ends that you arrange for transportation to go live with your mother over the weekend.

If such an arrangement could be made, you just might be able to stay at your present high school and play on your current baseball team to pursue that championship, but in doing so you would crimp your social life at your high school by being out of town every weekend during the school year. That would be the price you would have to pay to potentially make this arrangement work out.

MY BEST FRIEND IS QUITE MELANCHOLY

DR. WALLACE: My best girlfriend broke up with her boyfriend over a month ago, and she's been acting quite melancholy, to say the least. I often invite her out to do different things or spend social time outside of her house with me, but she rarely accepts any invitations these days. When I ask her why she doesn't want to go out, she simply says to me, "I just don't care anymore."

This has me concerned because that phrase could be interpreted in different ways. In fairness to her, she's never threatened to hurt herself nor has she mentioned the word suicide or anything like that, but as a good friend of hers, I'm concerned.

What can I do, or should I do, about this? I'd also like to know what the most typical signs of suicide might be, so I can keep an eye out for them just in case. — Concerned Enough to Ask, via email

CONCERNED ENOUGH TO ASK: Any time a person shows enough melancholy and withdraws from society enough to cause concern, it should be taken seriously. Be sure to speak privately with her parents immediately and tell them what you have observed.

As for the signs that are most common regarding a potential suicide, they include an unusual neglect of personal appearance, drug or alcohol, abuse, violent, or rebellious behavior, giving away treasured items, noticeable personality changes, withdrawing from family and friends, a decline in the quality of schoolwork and even eating or sleeping pattern changes. None of these items individually definitely indicates a potential suicide might be brewing, but when several of them are present simultaneously, it's time to arrange an immediate intervention.

Dr. Robert Wallace welcomes questions from readers. Although he is unable to reply to all of them individually, he will answer as many as possible in this column. Email him at rwallace@thegreatestgift.com. To find out more about Dr. Robert Wallace and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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