A Hybrid CNN-SVM Approach for ECG-Based Multi-Class Differential Diagnosis of PTSD, Depression, and Panic Attack

Ebrahimpour Moghaddam Tasouj P., SOYSAL G., Eroğul O., Yetkin S.

Biosensors, vol.16, no.1, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus) identifier identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 16 Issue: 1
  • Publication Date: 2026
  • Doi Number: 10.3390/bios16010052
  • Journal Name: Biosensors
  • Journal Indexes: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, Compendex, EMBASE, INSPEC, MEDLINE, Directory of Open Access Journals
  • Keywords: depression, differential diagnosis, electrocardiogram, hybrid deep learning, panic attack, post-traumatic stress disorder
  • Ankara University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

Background: PTSD diagnosis is challenging. Symptoms overlap with depression and panic attacks. This causes misdiagnosis and delayed treatment. Current methods lack objective biomarkers. This study presents a hybrid AI framework. It combines CNNs and SVMs. The system detects PTSD from ECG signals. Methods: ECG data from 79 participants were analyzed. Four groups were included. PTSD patients numbered 20. Depression patients numbered 20. Panic attack patients numbered 19. Healthy controls numbered 20. Wavelet transform created scalograms. Three CNN models were tested. AlexNet, GoogLeNet, and ResNet50 were used. Deep features were extracted. SVMs classified the features. Five-fold validation was performed. Statistical tests confirmed significance. Results: Hybrid models performed robustly. ResNet50 + SVM and AlexNet + SVM achieved statistically equivalent results with accuracies of 97.05% and 97.26%, respectively. AUC reached 1.00 for multi-class tasks. PTSD detection was highly accurate. The system distinguished PTSD from other disorders. Hybrid models beat standalone CNNs. SVM integration improved results significantly. Conclusions: This is the first ECG-based AI for PTSD diagnosis. The hybrid approach achieves clinical-level accuracy. PTSD is distinguished from depression and panic attacks. Objective biomarkers support psychiatric assessment. Early intervention becomes possible.