Shannen Doherty was a television and film actress who played Jenny Wilder in Our little farm (1982), Maggie Malene in Girls just want to have fun (1985); Kris Witherspoon in Our house (1986–1988), Brenda Walsh in Beverly Hills, 90210 (1990, 2008 and 2019), Prue Halliwell in Charmed (1998) and Dobbs in fortress (2021). On July 13, 2024, she died at the age of 53 from breast cancer that had spread throughout her body.

During her years as an actress, she struggled with numerous health problems and many conflicts with the people she worked and associated with. She had three unstable marriages that ended in divorce. In 1999, at the age of 28, she was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, a chronic inflammatory bowel disease that causes terrible abdominal pain and diarrhea.

Crohn’s disease can affect a person’s relationships with other people
In her twenties, Doherty began to suffer from the symptoms of Crohn’s disease: watery or bloody diarrhea, fever, fatigue, loss of appetite, weight loss, anemia, nausea and vomiting. Crohn’s disease is believed to be caused by inflammationwhen your own immune system mistakes your cells for those of an invading germ and produces cells and chemicals that attack your own cells and try to destroy them.

• There are more than 100 billion bacteria in your colon. Some of the colon bacteria are good for you, helping you absorb food and fight infection, while some bad bacteria can punch holes in your intestines, causing what’s known as a “leaky gut.” This allows bacteria to pass through your intestines into your bloodstream.
• Your immune system responds by producing large amounts of cells that eat and destroy bacteria, as well as proteins that attach to bacteria, dissolve their outer membranes, and kill them.
• Normally, your immune system kills the invading germs and then calms down. However, the bad bacteria in your colon can continue to punch holes in your intestinal lining and allow more bacteria to enter your bloodstream, keeping your immune system constantly active. This is called inflammation.
• When your immune cells and proteins remain constantly active, they can use the destructive forces designed to fight invading germs to attack your own healthy cells. For example, they can attack your joints and cause arthritis, they can damage your brain and nerves so you’re constantly tired (chronic fatigue syndrome), and they can damage your own DNA, increasing your risk of certain cancers.
• Your immune cells can cause your body to produce various pro-inflammatory hormones that travel from the colon through the vagus nerve to your brain, causing inappropriate behavior, such as irrational arguing with others.

Depression and anxiety
Depression and anxiety are common in people with Crohn’s disease. Up to 40 percent of Crohn’s disease patients will be diagnosed with depression during their lifetime, and up to 30 percent will be diagnosed with an anxiety disorder (Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, August 2015;48:186-194). Patients with Crohn’s disease often suffer from mental illness and an inability to get along with others. They also have a reduced diversity of gut bacteria, which is associated with an increased risk of inflammation and lower levels of the amino acid tryptophan, a precursor to two known chemicals that affect mood and sleep: serotonin and melatonin. (Medicine (Kaunas), April 2023;59(4):682. David T. Rubin, MD, professor of medicine at the University of Chicago, believes these abnormalities ultimately lead to a higher prevalence of anxiety and depression in patients with Crohn’s disease.

The Wikipedia article about Doherty lists her many difficulties at work. People The magazine called her “Hollywood’s most iconic ‘bad girl’ of the ’90s.” She had difficulty working with her co-stars, was said to be a “party girl,” was late to the set, and had several altercations with other crew members.

Crohn’s disease and marital disputes
Crohn’s disease is associated with a high divorce rate (Medicine (Baltimore), March 15, 2024; 103(11): e37527). In 1993, Doherty was briefly engaged to Max Factor heir Dean Jay Factor before he filed for a restraining order. In October 1993, she married Ashley Hamilton, the son of actors George Hamilton and Alana Collins, and they filed for divorce in April 1994. In 2002, she married Rick Salomon, and the marriage was annulled after nine months. On October 15, 2011, she married photographer Kurt Iswarienko, and they separated in 2023.

Breast cancer diagnosis
In March 2015, Doherty was diagnosed with breast cancer that had spread to her lymph nodes and was treated with drugs that block the female hormone estrogen.

• In May 2016, she had a breast removed along with the cancer and was treated with chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
• On April 29, 2017, she told the press that her cancer was in remission.
• On February 4, 2020, she told reporters that her cancer had returned a year earlier and that she was suffering from terminal breast cancer that had spread to other parts of her body.
• In June 2023, she told the press that the cancer had spread to her brain and that she was terminally ill.
• In November 2023, she said the breast cancer had spread to her bones.
• In January 2024, she stated that her breast cancer cells had spread to her brain and that she was being treated with radiation and new chemicals that could travel from her bloodstream to her brain.
• On July 13, 2024, nine years after her diagnosis, she died from breast cancer spreading to her brain.

Lessons from Shannen Doherty’s sad life and death
If someone is mean or nasty to you for no apparent reason, always try to be nice to them. If you can’t be nice to them, try to avoid the situation. People who behave irrationally and abusively often have a serious medical condition that affects their social relationships. If you can direct them to seek medical treatment, you may be able to help them tremendously. In most cases, however, it is better to avoid conflict by staying away from them.

Dr. Gabe Mirkin is a villager. Learn more at www.drmirkin.com