Time line, according to Leventhal et al. (2001), is defined as how long one expects
their illness to last and recognition of whether it is chronic (i.e., long term, incurable)
or acute (i.e., short term, curable). An accurate illness representation of time line
in diabetes is one that is a long-term and lifelong illness, controllable by lifestyle
and medication, and not considered curable at this time (ADA, 2002).