While there is no excuse for doing harm to others, an understanding of why it makes sense to the people who do it would improve treatment and rehabilitation for them.  We all live on a sine curve from low feelings of insecurity to higher feelings of security and peace of mind.  For most people, the feelings come and go, just changing moods.  But some people get deeply frightened by low mood, negative thoughts.  In an effort to understand or fight them, they hold on to them and think about them more and more.  Extended, worsening periods of negative thinking send them into a downward spiral, looking for who or what to blame.  At that point, lashing out with horrendous behavior seems like the only way to rid themselves of the misery they have no idea was created by their own thoughts, not by anything or anyone else. 

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