Mark Henick was precariously on the wrong side of the railing on a crumbling concrete overpass. The bridge connected two realities and, for Henick, it had become a symbol of escape — in one way or another. A voice behind him tried to help. A crowd gathered. Siren lights flashed in his peripheral vision. Surrounded, yet still alone, Henick let go.
So-Called Normal: A Memoir of Family, Depression and Resilience is a vital and triumphant story of perseverance and recovery told by one of the leading mental health advocates in North America.
Henick’s near-death experience on the overpass that night would alter his emotional orbit enough that his exit from a psychiatric ward after that suicide attempt in 2003 would be the last. His transformation did not happen overnight — it was a gradual process marked by new challenges and setbacks — but slowly, his patterns reversed and he began a profound “upward” spiral toward recovery.
So-Called Normal recounts Henick’s youth and the events that led to that fateful night on the bridge, as well as the experiences and transformation that followed. It is a vivid and personal account of a boy who had to deal with the collapse of his parents’ marriage, an abusive stepfather, bullying, and trauma — all while trying to navigate his increasingly worsening mental health. In the background, a community that did not talk about mental illness, where silence and the maintenance of the comforts of “normal” were paramount. So-Called Normal is not a “misery memoir” about suicide — it is a captivating and inspiring story of survival that has touched the hearts of many, including television personality Rosie O’Donnell.
“Mark Henick is a powerful storyteller. His vivid account of his early years as a depressed and suicidal teenager is a page-turner. So-Called Normal is 
beautifully written, moving, and hopeful. A must-read for anyone who wants to peek inside the mind of someone who traveled through mental illness and found hope on the other side,” said O’Donnell.
The author Mark Henick’s TEDx talk about being saved from death by a stranger is one of the most viewed in the world and has been seen millions of times. His search for the “brown jacket man” whose strong arms and bravery prevented him from falling to his death went viral worldwide (and was successful!). Henick has appeared on television and radio and has written many articles on mental health. He has hosted over 60 intimate conversations about mental health with notable public figures and celebrities on his podcast, So-Called Normal, and executive produced and hosted the podcast Living Well for Morneau Shepell. Henick served on the board of directors of the Mental Health Commission of Canada and was the president of a provincial division of the Canadian Mental Health Association — the youngest person in both positions. He worked as a frontline clinician, program manager, and national director of strategic initiatives for the CMHA. Currently, as CEO and chief strategist of Strategic Mental Health Consulting, Mark Henick is highly sought after as an international keynote speaker on mental health recovery.
To watch Henick’s powerful TEDx talk, visit https://youtu.be/D1QoyTmeAYw.
• So-Called Normal: A Memoir of Family, Depression and Resilience. Publisher: HarperCollins. Release Date: January 12, 2021.
Source: https://news.un.org/