Mental health leave: is it time?

Hello folks! This is my first post here and I’m hoping for some guidance from anyone that has experience with taking a sabbatical/mental health leave. I’ve been working in the tech sector since 2009 and have gone through various phases of burnout. The first serious event happened in 2015 after years of putting up with and finally reporting harassment. My gov contract came to an end in 2016 and I chose not to look for new work. I spent the next year recovering and traveling within the US. I got a new job in the beginning of 2018. Since then I’ve gone through more burnout. I went to the hospital in the summer of 2020 after dealing with symptoms related to stress, severe heartburn and acid reflux. I could barely sleep, eat and was working nonstop. Since then I have completely changed my work style and have created clear boundaries about how much I can work. But I am finding myself dealing with projects and consequently people that keep trying to push those boundaries for the sake of meeting project deadlines. Right now I’m dealing with a project that is poorly staffed and we are working overtime everyday to stay on top of things. I’m struggling and finding myself wanting to put in my notice and be done with it but I know that’s not the right solution. I do however want to explore the option of taking some sort of mental health leave once this project wraps up in the fall. I can sense my body is going through a lot of stress and Im worried that if I don’t manage it I’ll end up in the hospital again. Has anyone successfully taken this type of leave and how did you initiate that process through HR? How much time did you take off and what did you do during your leave? My other concern is coworkers finding out about my reason for taking leave. I’m very private about my personal life at work and don’t want anyone knowing why I’m taking time off. I’m not ashamed but I don’t want to get into the details with coworkers since everyone’s experience is different. Thanks everyone for reading and any advice you’re able to share!