Abstract: Mental illness self-stigma is the phenomenon in which patients with mental illnesses internalize the stereotypes, prejudice and discrimination by the public and formulate prejudice and discrimination against themselves. Mental illness self-stigma has a series of negative effects on patients and is a high risk factor for mental rehabilitation. Self-stigma is likely to compromise mental rehabilitation through patients’ negative perception, negative emotion and self-discrimination it induces. Intervention of self-stigma should be implemented on patients and the general public respectively. The localization of research on self-stigma in the context of the Chinese culture should be focused on the establishment of relevant theories, the improvement of measurement tools and intervention strategies, and the integration of anti-stigma intervention and mental illness rehabilitation.

Key words: self-stigma, mental illness, mental rehabilitation