Stand-up comedian David Granirer provides an entertaining but real look at mental health in his keynote speeches. Suffering from depression, David found his coping mechanism in comedy. He founded Stand Up for Mental Health in 2004, which taught comedy to recuperating addicts, cancer survivors and those with mental health issues. It is an award-winning program.
He has since collaborated with mental health organizations to train Stand Up for Mental Health groups in more than 50 cities in the U.S., Australia, and Canada. David and his team have received invitations to perform at hundreds of shows coordinated by the military, governmental departments, mental health organizations, universities, correctional facilities and corporations.
Awards include an Award of Excellence from the National Council for Behavioral Health. His work was featured in Crack-Up and Passionate Eye, both award-winning documentaries.
David knows the struggles with depression as he began to feel it during his teens. He spiraled downward into alcoholism, then into drugs, and then tried to kill himself by overdosing. Davide was in a psych ward for six weeks and shares the ordeal with audiences.
He said he felt so flawed because there wasn’t awareness on mental health issues and people suffered in silence. He has since used comedy to talk about such issues and that is followed by others, which has helped him feel like he isn’t alone.
David authored the book The Happy Neurotic, How Fear and Angst Can Lead to Happiness and Success. He is also available for virtual presentations. Both types of keynotes will leave people both laughing and with a deeper understanding of achieving mental health.
