Interview with Troy Lovett, January 24, 2020

Interview Summary

Troy Lovett identifies as a person with borderline schizophrenia and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). In this interview, Lovett discusses his experience of growing up in what he calls the idyllic 1950s, and how he ended up in a psychiatric hospital at the age of fifteen. He talks about the attitudes toward the treatment of mental illness in the 1950s and 1960s. Lovett talks about his bond with his mother and his fear of abandonment that all came to a head in 1960 when he was at the Stephen Collins Foster Music Camp. He talks about how his low self-esteem and his compulsive actions combined, resulting in him not being able to function properly. He talks about his thought processes surrounding his compulsions at that time. He talks about his childhood interest in music and sports and discusses whether he can look back on his childhood and recognize any manifestations of his compulsive tendencies from that time. He discusses being admitted to the hospital in November 1960 at the age of fifteen and working with Dr. Norman Polansky on his treatment. He talks about the rules he has set himself regarding his compulsions and the skills he has learned to handle them.

Interview Keyword

Compulsions Compulsive behaviors Jimmy Piersall Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) Low self-concept Low self-esteem Thought processes Emotional flashes Triggers Parents Mothers Control Mother image Baseball Psychiatric hospitals Borderline schizophrenia

Interview LC Subject

Mental health. Child mental health. Mental illness. Psychiatry. Psychology. Compulsive behavior. Psychology, Pathological. Repetition compulsion. Childhood Families. Churches Religion Williamsburg (Ky.) Radio programs. Radio Bands (Music) Music fans. Music. Musical groups. Sports Sports for children.

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Interview Usage

Interviews may only be reproduced with permission from Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries.