Dr Paul Stokes is a Clinical Reader in Mood Disorders and Psychopharmacology at the Centre for Affective Disorders, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN), King’s College London (KCL), and an Honorary Consultant Psychiatrist, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust.

Dr Stokes studied medicine at the University of Birmingham and completed clinical training in psychiatry at the Maudsley Hospital, London. In his doctoral studies at Imperial College London, Dr Stokes used PET and fMRI neuroimaging to examine the role of neurotransmitter systems in mediating psychosis, addictions and mood disorders. Dr Stokes obtained his PhD in 2011 from Imperial College London and was awarded the 2013 Royal Society of Medicine Psychiatry Section Mental Health Research Prize. Dr Stokes joined the Centre for Affective Disorders, KCL, in 2013 where his main research interest is to use neuroimaging to better understand the neurochemical brain mechanisms which mediate mood disorders and related co-morbid addictions. He leads clinical trials and functional neuroimaging studies to assess new ways of treating mood and cognitive symptoms in mood disorders.

In his clinical work, Dr Stokes is a consultant psychiatrist with the National Affective Disorders Service at the Maudsley Hospital, a national specialist service for people with complex or treatment resistant mood disorders.

Research interests

• Bipolar Disorders
• Major Depressive Disorder
• Neuroimaging
• Clinical Trials
• Addictions
• Cognitive impairment in mood disorders

Teaching

• MSc Affective Disorders Co-Programme Leader
• Module leader for the Challenges in Treating Affective disorders MSc Affective disorders module

Expertise and public engagement

Dr Stokes is a member of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, which makes recommendations to the UK government on the control of harmful drugs. He is a member of the Royal College of Psychiatrists Psychopharmacology committee and is part of the International Society for Bipolar Disorders Targeting Cognition Taskforce.