That's the sad thing about it all that it can take a person to make a decision like that to regain any focus or calmness in their life, as you say it can only come from some sort of relief. Unfortunately I've seen it from both sides in knowing people who have taken that decision and having to...
I'm not convinced that's always the case, some of these incidents have been so well planned and carried out in such a way that it would indicate the person involved was probably more focused than they have been for a long time.