Dr. Talbott was born in Boston, Massachusetts. He received his A.B. degree from Harvard University (1957) and the M.D. degree from Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York (1961). He interned at the Rochester Municipal and Strong Memorial Hospital (1961–62) and took his psychiatric residency at the New York State Psychiatric Institute and Presbyterian Hospital (1962–65). He received psychoanalytic training at the Columbia University Psychoanalytic Center (1963–71). He was a Captain in the U.S. Army (1966–68), serving in Vietnam and received the Bronze Star Award.
Dr. Talbott served on numerous Editorial Boards, including the Harvard Lampoon (1954–57), the Psychiatric Quarterly (1975–82), and Archives of Psychiatric Nursing (1985–98) He was Editor of the APA Journal of Psychiatric Services (1987–2004). He served as Secretary and Vice President of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (1985–88) and was President of the AACDP (1994–95). He also served on the APPI Board of Directors (1984–94).
Dr. Talbott belonged to numerous professional organizations, including the New York Academy of Medicine (1976–1989), the GAP Board of Directors (1986–89), ACP (1980), and the American Association of Psychiatric Administrators President (1985–86). He was a founding fellow of the American College of Mental Health Administration (1978) and a founding member of the American Association of Community Mental Health Centers (1984).
Dr. Talbott has received numerous awards and honors; served as visiting professor at fourteen universities, and has given many honorary lectures throughout the country. He has received the APA Administrative Psychiatry Award (1986); The Distinguished Faculty Award of the University of Florida (1990); the APA Van Ameringen Award in Psychiatric Rehabilitation (1997); the Exemplary Psychiatrist Award of NAMI (1992); and the Arthur Noyes Memorial Lecture of Norristown (Pennsylvania) State Hospital (1986). He has written or edited over five books and published numerous articles and book reviews.
Dr. Talbott was President of the American Psychiatric Association (1984–85)).