John,
Your question raises a good point...when is behavior abnormal enough to put you over the edge and qualify you for the diagnosis of mania or depression? When I look back at my life, I see periods of time where I was obviously manic, but was able to accomplish much. The accomplishments were strained....bordered with anxiety and stress, but to the average person, it looked as if I was juggling a career and family life particularly well. There are some manic periods where my behavior was so unusual that it is obvious that I was not thinking normally. But much of the time during some of those episodes my behavior looked okay to friends...I kept the really abnormal stuff to myself. I did not not even consider it unusual and worth evaluation (therefore, it was!). Your comment on what is "characteristic" of one's personality is the key, I believe. I am moderately depressed most of the time so my personality seems to reflect this...somewhat quiet, introverted, slow to act. In order to attract attention from friends and family, my depression has to reach an extent that is unhealthy for me. But when I am manic, happy, perky, full of unusual but plausible ideas, restless, pressured speech...they think I am getting "better" from my depression. Sometimes my mania goes on a bit longer before it becomes problematic enough to draw attention. I have tried to explain this to my family and friends....asking them to become more alert when I appear to "get better" quickly or even over night, but they are somewhat resistant to the idea...they want to see me in that manic state because I appear happy. I guess my rambling here is intended to agree that behavior relative to ones' usual disposition signifies an altered state of mind and qualifies for closer examination.
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How much do you know about bipolar disorder? 
Thank you. It is easy to get sucked into these "bipolar quizzes," "schizophrenia quizzes" and "depression quizzes." As well as those concerning every other so-called mental illness.
I am a long-time introverted stick-in-the-mud party-pooper...according to many who know me. They wouldn't even need a quiz to put me in any one of a number of categories: depressive, schizophrenic, or just plain old weirdo. When something comes to my mind during a conversation, I blurt it out even if no one else has a clue where I got it. This is part of my creative process. A valid part. I like to try my ideas out on people even if they sound crazy. My friends' mistake is thinking I am going to run out an put my ideas into action. I'm not. I'm a long-term plotter. I like to think of an idea from every possible angle, and then often lay it aside never to return. Then my family says, "But I thought you were going to do THIS or THAT since you have talked about doing it for ages." I never intended to DO something, I only like to work it all out by writing and talking about it. THAT is what I wanted to do: explore my ideas with words.
I used to beat myself up constantly for not DOING something with my ideas. Other people called it "wasted potential," wasted time, wasted energy and I began to wonder if there wasn't seriously wrong with me. Others get paid exorbitant fees for being in Think Tanks. Maybe that is where I belong. Brainstorming. Someone else can use the table saw or petri dish.
Nevertheless, it is a good way to get branded "strange," "different," "off-the-wall" and even "recluse." It takes time alone sometimes to work through these ideas. Then I want to try them out on people. Most of the time, they just don't understand that this is me and always will be me. I can talk about ideas all day while they think it is more normal to talk about that hunk that lives upstairs or who is going to win the Presidential Election this fall. Fortunately, we're all different. (Gee -- I sure HOPE I'm different.)