Andrew Cannizzaro

In 2015 I was officially diagnosed with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. I'd had it my whole life, more or less. Ever since I was a kid I had experienced intrusive thoughts and compulsions, but I never had a name for what they were. Nor did I ever stop to think that any of it was "not normal." Flash forward to a point in my life where my OCD reached a breaking point in a single second. It was only through this mental health crisis that I even discovered I had OCD, managed to find help, and got on a path to recovery and resilience.

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Ever since then, I have been fortunate to find my voice in mental health advocacy. I started the first mental health ERG at A+E Networks. We now have over 200 members and have meetings ranging from art relaxation, discussing different types of therapy, to the effects of racism on mental health and a discussion on complex PTSD. I've consulted with our programming departments on depictions of mental health and worked with HR to change our sick days to wellness days to promote their use for mental health reasons.

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I was a featured guest on Mental Health America's podcast, In The Open, and have written for the mental health non-profit Made of Millions.

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I continue to look for opportunities to expand my mental health advocacy, especially in the workplace. If you'd like to work together, please reach out.