Four out of 10 Ohio adults say a friend or relative has shown signs that they might suffer from depression, a statewide survey found.

The Ohio Health Issues Poll also found that statewide, 67 percent of adults would know who to call to help find their loved one help.

“I was pleased to see those numbers,” said Janice Bogner, senior program officer for the Health Foundation of Greater Cincinnati, which paid for the poll. The telephone poll included 834 adults randomly selected from around the state. “Now, do they actually go get help? That’s another story.”

In the Dayton region, 60.3 percent of adults surveyed said they knew who to call for help, while 36.5 percent said a loved one had shown signs of depression.

The survey didn’t ask participants if they themselves had experienced depression or sought treatment for it. But national statistics show that while 20 percent of Americans have experienced some type of mental illness, only 40 percent of those people had received treatment for it.

“It seems like people know they can get help, but there’s still a great deal of stigma that prevents them from getting it,” Bogner said.

The survey also found that, of those who said they knew where to get a friend or family member help, 38 percent would suggest contacting a mental health professional, while 46 percent would recommend getting in touch with another health provider, such as a primary care doctor, and 15 percent would suggest contacting a clergy member, social services agency or other organization.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-7457 or peggy.o’farrell @coxinc.com.