he was born in patras, greece and studied medicine at the university of athens. subsequently, he trained in neurology and psychiatry in athens, oxford and london and obtained a phd from the university of london in 1979. between 1982 and 1999 he was a senior lecturer in psychiatry at the department of psychiatry guy’s medical school and united medical and dental schools guy’s and st thomas’ hospitals, london. from 1982 to 2008 he was consultant psychiatrist for the south london and the maudsley nhs foundation trust and from 1999 to 2008 he held a chair in psychiatry at the health service and population research department, at the institute of psychiatry, king's college london.