Mental Health Over Time — Interactive Timeline¶
Specification¶
The full specification below is extracted from Chapter 3: Mental and Emotional Health.
Type: timeline
**sim-id:** mental-health-over-time-timeline<br/>
**Library:** vis-timeline<br/>
**Status:** Specified
Bloom Taxonomy: Understand (L2)
Bloom Taxonomy Verb: describe, explain, interpret
Learning objective: Students describe how mental health can rise and fall over time in response to life events, just as physical health does, and explain that seeking help during a harder stretch is a normal, healthy response.
Purpose: Normalize the idea that mental health is dynamic, not fixed, using a relatable one-year example timeline.
Time period: A single representative school year (September through June)
Orientation: Horizontal, with a wavy line showing a "mental health level" rising and falling across the months
Events plotted along the wavy line:
- September: Starting a new school year (steady)
- November: A stressful stretch after losing a pet (dip)
- December: Time with family during a break (rise)
- February: A harder stretch after a friendship conflict (dip)
- March: Talking to a school counselor and feeling supported (rise begins)
- June: Feeling steady again at the end of the year (steady, higher than the February dip)
Visual style: A smooth wavy line graph with a calm color gradient; no numeric "score," just relative up/down movement, to avoid implying mental health is measured like a test grade
Color coding: Cool blue for dips, warm gold for rises, neutral gray for steady periods
Interactive features:
- Click any point on the line to open an infobox describing that life event and how it might affect mental health
- Click the March point specifically to reveal: "Reaching out for help during a harder stretch is one of the healthiest things a person can do — it's exactly like seeing a doctor for a physical illness."
- A closing note after exploring three or more points: "Notice that the line goes back up. Mental health can improve again after a harder stretch, especially with support."
Implementation: vis-timeline with a custom-rendered wavy overlay line and click-to-reveal infobox panels.