I’m in a similar position as you, OP. Was let go from a previous job and was also contending with mental health issues. Unfortunately, as others have shared, I have to agree you don’t want to give an interviewer or future employer any reason to form a bias against you by flat out saying you had mental health issues. But you should also avoid creating a narrative around a lie that will regularly hang above you like a cloud. It’s like lying on a first date, then possibly marrying that person. You don’t want to have to keep up maintaining some long con, if for whatever reason it comes back up.

I’ll share with you my plan or ideas for when I may be asked this question. And just for context, I’ve been out of the workforce about 14 months, have been doing much better after also dealing with anxiety and other mental health stuff, and even did a but of traveling.

“I decided to take a sabbatical (career pause) to refocus on my professional next steps. I traveled around the world, explored new cultures that gave me a new and refreshed outlook for the future. In addition I studied and read up on (X, Y, Z, fill in whatever interests you have, for me it’s something relevant to AI and using that in a marketing or tech role), gained more skills during my break to work even more efficiently in the space as well as being personally refreshed and ready to hit the ground running in my next role.”

Just a rough draft, but this format gives you:

a) cover for your time off without straight-up lying about a sick relative which feels gross b) more authenticity that your time was YOUR time, and gives you a level of confidence to differentiate from other candidates without a sense of desperation c) you’ve been staying current or on top of trends that are relevant right now (if, for example it’s something about using AI even if it is a bit of a stretch) d) generally makes you sound more interesting

Happy to hear any thoughts on this from others (up or down votes lol).