The harmful use of alcohol causes a large disease, social and economic burden in societies. Metacognition is a complex concept referring to the cognitive control and regulation of many types of cognitive processes.

Metacognitions are considered to be an important factor in the development and continuance of psychological disorders.

The purpose of this study is to examine the probable relations between alcohol abuse and Metacognitions with the Metacognitions Questionaire – 30 (MCQ-30).

Twenty-three men and 16 women, aged between 22 and 64 years, inpatients in Eginition Hospital, due to alcohol dependence, completed the Greek-Version of the MCQ-30.

The mean total scores of alcoholics were higher than the ones of the healthy subjects. Namely, the group of the alcohol abused patients presented a higher score in comparison with the normal group in three of the five metacognitive dimensions. Additionally, alcoholic men outscored alcoholic women in two of the five factors. Specifically, alcoholic men appeared to be less confident about their memory and attention than alcoholic women. Furthermore, alcoholic men, compared to alcoholic women claimed in a significant greater level that worrying helped them to function.

The above findings suggest that metacognitions could play a role in the orientation and maintenance of alcoholic abuse behavior. Moreover, these results may pose the question of whether these metacognitive beliefs could be seen as an indicator of differentiating alcoholic men from women. Overall, further research could provide additional information concerning the relation between Metacognitions and alcoholic dependence.

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

According to time perspective (TP), theory behaviour is influenced by the individual's perception of his/her past, present and future. Boyd and Zimbardo postulate that a healthy balance between orientation to the past, present and future exists.

Investigation of TP in the context of psychopathology.

To investigate and compare TP in Obsessive Compulsive (OCD) and Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD).

Twenty-eight OCD and 28 BPD patients (36% of men), matched for age and education, completed the Greek version of the Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory (ZTPI); a 56-item self-administered questionnaire measuring individuals’ orientations to the past, present, and future. ZTPI consists of five factors: Past Negative (PN), Past Positive (PP), Present Hedonistic (PH), Present Fatalistic (PF) and Future (F).

BPD patients scored significantly higher in PH and PF and significantly lower in PP factors than OCD patients. No significant gender differences emerged for either group. In the BPD group, age correlated significantly negatively with PH, while education correlated positively with F.

The study's findings suggest that BPD patients have a hedonistic orientation towards time and life and a helpless/hopeless attitude towards the future to a significantly greater degree than OCD patients, whereas OCD patients seem to have a more positive and nostalgic attitude towards the past than BPD patients. Further research would provide additional information concerning the role of TP in OCD and BPD patients.

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.