As a cultural psychiatrist he has been always interested in the impact of culture on mental health. As part of WPA programme he led on and crafted 20 Position Statements on various topics some of which have strongly influenced policy in governments around the world. He established Presidential task Forces on Child abuse and Neglect, Inter-personal Violence, Prisoner mental Health care, Migrant health care, LGBT populations’ mental health care and those of people with intellectual disabilities. He created programmes for mental health promotion and appointed Good Will Ambassadors from Bollywood and Hollywood along with patients and religious leaders. He established 6 WPA Collaborating centres in different parts of the world to share research, policy and training. Following a survey of discrimination against people with mental illness in 193 countries, he developed Bill of Rights for Individuals with mental Illness signed by 60 organisations which was followed by Bills of Rights for Children and young people and for those with intellectual disabilities.

He has authored/co-authored over 500 scientific papers, chapters , editorials and 40 books. Three of his books  have been translated into Mandarin and Japanese and various books have won awards including Oxford Textbook for Public Mental Health which was BMA Book of the Year in psychiatry in 2019. The same year, Practical Cultural Psychiatry was highly recommended. He is the Editor of the International Journal of Social Psychiatry and International Review of Psychiatry. On the occasion of 75th anniversary of the NHS, Conversations on the NHS including interviews with policymakers, doctors, patients and journalists will be published by Routledge. His new book Psychiatrists on Psychiatry will be out in May 2023. He is on the Board of  Sane and Psychiatric Research Trust charities. Between 2019-2022 he chaired DocHealth charity which provides psychotherapy to doctors and medical students.