How to address having been in inpatient mental health treatment?

2021 I was a college freshman and for the first time in my life I’d finally felt my social anxiety lessen, compared to my high school self who had panic attacks daily and struggled in every aspect it was a complete 180. I wasn’t doing well with my schoolwork though so I only lasted a semester, leaving made me extremely depressed the spring after bc it was like the social life I’d always dreamed of was gone. Eventually that depression dulled but the spring after that it got very bad again, in fact worse and I was put into inpatient treatment(when ppl hear it they think psych ward but in reality it was more of a rehab place minus the addiction trouble, I don’t like ppl thinking I was hospitalized). Shortly after I got out I rushed too quickly into college again and it didn’t work bc I was still not fully healed I think.

Anyways my actual issue is when people ask me about why I left/the timeline of it I have no idea what to say. It’s been 3 years since I was in inpatient and I’ve gotten better about keeping my mouth shut. Initially, especially when I went back to college, I’d just tell ppl bc I didn’t think much of it, it was just a fact that that’s what happened and bc it was a recent big occurrence in my life it was still fresh in my mind. I didn’t really think about people’s reaction too deeply, idk what I thought they’d think but ig in my mind bc I’ve never really thought negatively of inpatient even prior to treatment I wasn’t anticipating ppl to distance themselves or be weirded out by me saying it. Tbf sometimes I would say it way too soon but I viewed it as a neutral but important thing to know abt me.

Today I’ve realized that obviously bringing up my in patient experience will just make people view me differently, at the same time though idk how to address questions people have regarding that time of my life, like why I left school? Why I took big breaks and kept dropping out? There’s some people I’d like to truthfully answer to as well as I’d like to feel closer to them and sharing imo is the way to do it, but I don’t want it to make them view me in a negative light, also tbh if I was to answer truthfully I never know how much detail is appropriate. In my head I’d say the timeline of events and then try lighting it up with a crazy story from treatment but idk if that’s the right way to go about things, I don’t want the mood to get heavy bc I’m honestly fine now. It’s mainly romantic interests/potential friends that I have scared off in the past w this, maybe bc it’s tmi too fast but also bc that was/is such a pivotal part of my life I feel like in order for me to get closer to someone they need to know it.

How to I address it when that part of my life comes up? Both for wanting to hide and also for wanting to tell?