It really depends on your baseline. The more you recognize what is typical for you, the more you can understand your episodes and judge if it is mania. When you are not feeling like (or behave) like your normal self, then that is a sign it might be part of an episode. My sex drive is naturally high, but I don't always follow through with going out and meeting random people. My energy needs to be high enough to make that kind of effort when I am not in a relationship. However, when manic, it is characteristic of me to meet random people and have sex, although not every single time that I am manic. When my mood comes back down, I don't always feel like going out and can be quite introverted....so some people might wonder, "Who is that girl that I thought I knew?" If they meet me when I am in a fun-loving manic stage, only to see me when my mood comes back down to a low. When I am low, I'd rather keep to myself and seem like a different person.