I am about to face an interview for a one year fellowship.
One of the criteria for the selection is length of time as a doctoral candidate.
While I am within my registration period, I'm allowed one additional year to submit my thesis and I'm about halfway through that very year.
Part of the reason for being "late" - i.e. taking the extra year to write which is in fact vary common despite being somewhat frowned upon by the programme I'm in - is that I had a long stretch of depression during my PhD which is better now.
Should I mention this during the interview?
Should I mention this only if they ask me about why I'm taking this time to finish?
Should I NOT mention this, but maybe hint at it in-between the lines?
Also, there's a non negligible chance the panel might be sympathetic toward the topic (i.e. I guess they might be people who I would deem more likely to take seriously the topic of mental health in academia, rather than having an opposing stance like "you should toughen up" or a dismissing one like "no big deal".)