On Nihilism in Psychiatry: Impact and Usefulness in Clinical Practice

Abstract

Nihilism, understood as a belief in nothingness, extreme skepticism, or a rejection of customary beliefs and practices, emerges in our clinical practice. It can manifest as a fact, a state, an attitude, a way of thinking, or an event that triggers a crisis of meaning. In other words, nihilism may be understood as a process by which something loses what sustains it: the practitioner finds themselves in a state of disorientation that arises once their traditional points of reference fail. Therapeutic nihilism appears. Why does it arise? How does it affect our practice? Could it be useful?