Neurologist explains real reason woman 'experienced multiple strange sensations in her body including jhanjhanahat'

Dr Rahul Chawla says a young woman’s tingling, numbness, and 'jhanjhanahat' were real, not imagined — she had somatoform disorder. Here's what it is.

For many patients, receiving a 'normal' test result is a relief. But for a young woman treated by Dr Rahul Chawla – a neurologist trained at AIIMS, New Delhi, consultant neurologist at IBS Hospital, Lajpat Nagar, and founder of HealthPil.com – it was the source of a mounting nightmare.

Somatoform disorder is when stress shows up as physical symptoms despite normal scans. Dr Rahul Chawla urges people to listen and seek mental‑health help instead of dismissing them. (Freepik)

Despite experiencing persistent tingling, numbness, and a distressing 'jhanjhanahat' (shivers or prickling) across her body, every MRI and blood test reportedly came back clear. Dr Chawla said the disconnect between her physical suffering and her medical reports led her family to believe she was 'overthinking' or even faking her symptoms. However, Dr Chawla shared in a January 3 Instagram post that her condition was very real: it was a classic case of somatoform disorder.

The gap between testing and truth

Dr Chawla highlighted a major gap in how we perceive illness and said that many patients suffer from vague, chronic discomfort that standard investigations simply cannot catch.

He explained, “We see a lot of patients who have vague complaints, pain, and discomfort that don't go away with normal examinations and normal investigations, ranging from blood tests to MRI. This doesn't mean that the patient doesn't have any illness. These patients are likely suffering from somatoform disorder. This definitely does not mean that there are no symptoms or that the patient is lying. The problem is that the source of the pain is not damage in any organ, but in how the brain processes pain signals.”

What is somatoform disorder?

According to Dr Chawla, somatoform disorder occurs when psychological stress manifests as physical pain – it bridges the gap between mental health and physical sensation, often leaving patients trapped in a cycle of frustration.

Explaining it, the doctor said, “Somatoform disorder is a condition where psychological stress expresses itself as physical symptoms. The pain and discomfort is very real, but the root cause is not physical; it is the mind and body reacting to stress, anxiety, trauma, or emotional overload. Patients may have pain, tightness, heaviness, breathlessness, palpitations, stomach discomfort, or fatigue. Symptoms may shift from one part of the body to another, and they often worsen during stress and improve temporarily with reassurance, only to return again.”

Common symptoms

According to Dr Chawla, some signs of a somatoform disorder include:

⦿ Multiple physical complaints with normal investigations

⦿ Long symptom history with frequent doctor visits

⦿ Symptoms that do not fit typical disease patterns

⦿ High stress, anxiety, or emotional burden

⦿ Clear distress, even when reports are normal

The danger of dismissal

One of the most dangerous aspects of this disorder isn't the symptoms themselves, but the social stigma attached to them. When doctors or family members tell a patient 'everything is normal', it often drives them toward 'faith healers' or 'quacks' who exploit their vulnerability for financial gain, Dr Chawla shared.

He gave an example, saying: “We had a young woman who came in with a complaint of sensations in her body. She experienced multiple strange 'sensations', including tingling, numbness, 'jhanjhanahat'. She had already seen many doctors, and every report was normal. But by the time she came to us, she was exhausted, frustrated, and felt nobody believed her anymore. Her family thought she was overthinking because all her reports were normal, still her symptoms were very real to her. This was a clear case of somatoform disorder. One of the greatest myths that family members of such patients foster is that the patients are faking symptoms, malingering, and in some cases are even thought to be wasting money on unnecessary tests while they are completely fine.”

He added, “When these patients do not get an adequate response from the treating physician about their illness, they often resort to faith healing, magic healing, or quacks who misguide them and drain them financially, taking advantage of their vulnerability. What makes these cases difficult to diagnose is that patients look fine, they speak well, but they begin to experience these symptoms quite regularly.”

The path to recovery

The solution, according to Dr Chawla, starts with listening. Dismissing a patient's reality only deepens the psychological burden, which in turn worsens the physical symptoms. He said, “Saying 'everything is normal' to a patient does not really help. What helps is listening and understanding the patient's concerns, seeking help from a mental health professional at the earliest, and most importantly, not dismissing the patient or their symptoms.”

Dr Chawla wrote in his caption: “If you ever come across someone who has these symptoms, do not dismiss them. Please consult a neurologist or a psychiatrist at the earliest for proper diagnosis and treatment!”

Note to readers: This report is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.

This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice.