Increasing societal awareness of mental health challenges has significantly reduced stigma surrounding psychological disorders, encouraging greater numbers of individuals to seek professional support, which has placed unprecedented pressure on mental health services, with institutions ranging from educational establishments to emergency services implementing systematic screening protocols to identify individuals requiring intervention. However, the growing demand for rapid, accurate diagnosis continues to strain limited professional resources. Our study introduces an innovative machine learning framework for mental disorder detection using electroencephalography (EEG) signals processed through Welch’s power spectral density estimation. Unlike conventional Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) approaches, our method generates refined two-dimensional spectrograms capturing brain wave amplitudes (in dB) alongside precise peak frequency identification. This computationally efficient periodogram variant enables robust feature extraction suitable for real-time diagnostic applications while reducing model training overhead. Preliminary analysis demonstrates the Welch Transform’s superior signal characterization compared to standard FFT periodograms, revealing distinct neurophysiological patterns associated with various mental health conditions. The approach maintains high computational efficiency, supporting potential deployment in clinical screening environments.
Pelc et al. (Sat,) studied this question.