This was brought up at the end of David Gregory's show on MSNBC today. It struck a chord with me, a subject very close to my heart.
My suspicion is Mc Cain is in denial about his condition and has refused therapy for it. I'm certain it plays a huge part in his rage issue.
As you correctly expressed, PTSD at best, when treated, is manageable. It is never cured. That concerns me more about McCain's ability to govern than his age.

It is revealing that he has not released his medical records yet. I think you are right on the money as to why.

My wife works at a public library where a library assistant male works the public desk and talks most of the day to the patrons who come up to check out books. At lunch and sometimes on breaks he goes into a small storage room with a thick steel door and screams for several minutes. lBefore his supervisors directed him to get professional help, he used to start arguments with innocent co-workers and manipulate them to follow him out to the alley and then start screaming incoherently at them.
Why you ask.
In the 1970's he took a lot of drugs while in college including LSD. He is now on tranquilizers and is seeing a therapist. He is paying dearly for his party time. He reaction is much like PTSD.
His symptoms seem to be much like John McCain's.
John McCain has expressed very aggressive opinions about continuing the Iraqi war at an increased commitment.
He should not be president.

Its always been my position that McCain wasn't damaged mentally by the North Vietnamese nearly so much as by his continued membership in the Republican Party. The Commies couldn't break him but the GOP could.

Just goes to show who has the more potent propaganda machine.

Interesting speculation, no doubt. But I would point out a few things.

McCain, whatever one may think of his politics or his occasional -- repeat, occasional -- flashes of anger or hostility, has been a viable U.S. Representative and Senator for twenty-eight years.

As with just about any politician, he's shown himself, on occasion, to be dishonest, a hypocrite and as regards to the Iraq invasion and occupation, an old fool. But he has also held positions and helped pass legislation which is universally admired, or as good as.

He's a husband and father, and I've yet to hear stories of his being other than a good one. He divorced his first wife on good terms before marrying his second.

After his return from Vietnam, neither his life — with the exception of his first marriage — nor his career went downhill. To the contrary, he seems to have matured considerably and to have gone on to make the most of his opportunities.

These things are hardly indications of someone having experienced PTSD or, in the event he did, of someone incapable of handling whatever the consequences might be.

"[P]sychiatrically damaged"? Show me someone who is not "psychiatrically damaged." I've no reason to assume other than that you were simply following the line of your speculation, but this is not merely a flippant assertion, it's a gratuitous insult.

Unlike you, I do not honour either his navy service or the years he spent as a pow. As I wrote in an earlier post, while I admire him for having kept his wits, I consider him a coward for having failed to learn what he should have learned from his experiences in the military.

It's unfortunate that he continues to find comfort burying his head up the Republican elephant's ass — unequivocally an indication of educational and experiential damage — but he deserves better than you're giving him here.

McCain should have beat Bush in 2000. Just like Clinton should have run and beat him in 2004. They're both anachronisms. The sooner they accept this and move on, the better.