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After Howie Mandel accidentally blurted out his OCD diagnosis mid-panic attack live on The Howard Stern Show, a stranger on the NYC sidewalk walked up and said "me too" — and that one moment of connection became the catalyst for his partnership with NOCD, now the largest telehealth OCD provider in the country, reaching over 140 million people through their insurance.

The ripple effect has been extraordinary — Billy Bob Thornton, who grew up thinking he invented OCD, saw Mandel's ad, called him, and opened up for the first time; and since then "celebrities galore" have reached out privately saying "me too." This is the power of one person being brave enough to speak first.

Read More: How Howie Mandel Turned a Panic Attack Into a Mental Health Movement and Helped Build a Company Now Worth Hundreds of Millions (Fortune)

America's teen sleep crisis just hit a record low — and the consequences are following them straight into adulthood. A major University of Minnesota study analyzing data from over 40,000 teens across three decades found that only 22.3% of older teens are getting the recommended seven or more hours of sleep — an all-time low — with experts warning that the chronic sleep deprivation, inconsistent schedules, and late-night screen habits formed in adolescence tend to follow people well into adult life.

Poor teen sleep has been repeatedly linked to mental health problems, academic struggles, accidents, and impaired brain development — making this far more than just a tired teenager problem.

Read More: U.S. teens are getting their least amount of sleep in decades—lowering their chances to ‘lead fulfilling lives as adults,’ health experts say (CNBC)

A groundbreaking new study from Penn State found that when we exercise, our abdominal muscles act like a pump, pushing cerebrospinal fluid up through the spinal column and around the brain — essentially running a rinse cycle that flushes out accumulated waste products, much like wringing out a dirty sponge.

This adds to a growing body of evidence showing exercise boosts brain health by increasing blood flow, reducing inflammation, balancing neurotransmitters, and even promoting new brain cell growth — with research also showing it can be as effective as medication in treating depression.

Read More: Yet Another Reason to Move More: New Research Suggests Exercise Literally Washes Out Your Brain (Inc.)

MYTH: Depression is not a real medical condition.

FACT: Depression is a real and serious medical condition. It’s no different than diabetes or heart disease in how it impacts people’s lives.

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