Levon3

Yes, research in this area is done in a variety of sub-disciplines of education and in other fields as well. In education, you may want to look at curriculum and instruction programs or even educational psychology--depending on the specific research question. It may be most helpful to find some articles that interest you and see what programs the authors are in.

I deal with some of the same issues you do (including attention deficit, anxiety, depression) but over the last few years of grad school I've managed to refine my methods, maybe some of this will help.
First.  I find that a solid work schedule begins and ends with a solid sleep pattern, because this helps you establish a routine which I think is so important to dealing with some of these mental health issues.  If I go to bed on time, and wake up on time, the day goes well.  If I stay up too late and oversleep, surprise surprise, I have a hard time even getting grounded and it can be very hard to recover.  Have a routine, and have set work hours.  It doesn't matter if you work from 11am-7pm, 9am-5pm, or 9pm-5am, routine is important.  If you're struggling with getting to classes and meetings, pick a set of working hours amenable to that.  Keep that time sacred for work (though remember to take a break here and there - though don't get too far afield).  If you're like me, and struggle with focus, there are apps for that!  Don't rapidly snap into this new routine overnight, work your way up to it.  I find that even on the weekend I only deviate slightly from this sleep schedule, I shoot for 7 hours of sleep each night, your body may have different needs.
Second.  Protect some time for non-work stuff and keep that sacred as well.  Don't buy into the myth that you should be putting in 70 hours of solid work each week.  Nobody is really doing that, and even if they are, there is plenty evidence to suggest that working in small, intense bursts actually produces better output than dragging out your workday for the sake of being able to comfortably say you logged a lot of hours.  If you have nothing to look forward to then it will be very hard to stay committed to your work.
Third.  Never go into anything as important as a day in your life without a plan.  Even if you wake up and finish your breakfast and walk your dog and you're just itching to sit down and write until your fingers bleed, take some time to plan out your day.  I have used checklists, but I've found that I've had more success after I bought a small lined notepad.  Each day, I mark out the clock hours I'm going to work, each line represents a 30 minute increment, and I visualize how my time will be spent, accounting for time spent on the bus or walking from place to place, as well as any breaks.  Each day starts with a 30 minute block I label "planning/prep", in which I check my e-mail, check and update my planner, get any old coffee cups off my desk, and get whatever books or materials I'm going to need for the day.  After that, I turn on my website blocking app for the next 6-7 hours and I work.
Fourth.  Try doing creative/intense intellectual work in short, highly focused bursts.  There are studies that show that even highly trained and experienced experts in various skills have a very very finite amount of mental energy/willpower that they can expend on their practice before they start to see diminishing returns.  Since I've started actually producing my dissertation, I limit my actual writing time to two very intense 90-120 minute chunks of writing each day.  I've found that I'm having quite a bit of success this way.  In a typical day, I begin at 9:30 a.m., I take care of prep stuff and everyday tasks until 10, I then write until about noon, at which time I take a 30-60 minute break to eat, walk the dog, etc.  I then write for another 90-120 minutes.  These minutes of writing, of course, are focused and intense (I don't check e-mail, don't use my phone, etc., just write).  I then leave the rest of the day for reading and research, or other less intellectually demanding stuff.  I always take the last 15 minutes of the day to close everything down, make some notes on what I need to do tomorrow, and then I take like five minutes or so to just close my eyes, breathe, and disengage from the work.  The strategy of short, intense, flurries of output takes some practice, but I think is ultimately far more rewarding than the drawn out days I used to spend at my desk distracted and despondent.  If you're still in coursework, you may have to alter this formula slightly in order to keep up on reading and seminar prep, which is demanding in a somewhat different way, but I think the principle still holds true.
It goes without saying that this is a very fragile system, it takes some discipline to adhere to.  I have really excellent productive weeks using it.  There are also some weeks that nothing seems to go right with it, and I can't get a groove.  Consistency is key, good days beget good days, good weeks beget good weeks.  If there is something disruptive coming up like a holiday, or a conference, or research travel prepare yourself for it and figure out how you'll get your groove back when you return. I can't stress enough that the strongest indicator I can find as to whether a week is good or bad is a consistent sleep pattern that helps lock the routine in place.  Also, finding a workspace conducive to highly focused work is essential as well.
There is a book I've found very helpful called Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World by Dr. Cal Newport.  Some of the strategies I talk about in this post come from that, though most are modifications of things I was already working about.  What Newport provides is a solid well researched basis for these strategies and ways of refining them.  It's not geared toward academics, but the author is a professor at Georgetown so the strategies are actually rooted in his academic life.  It's not without its problematic aspects, but overall very helpful. 

I'm afraid this will happen to me as well. It takes me back to when I attended an interview for undergraduate and everybody was flaunting their volunteering trips to other countries and the stress they felt taking IB classes (my school did not have an IB program, needless to say, and I had only taken 2 AP classes too). At the end, I think schools put these things into perspective. My interview ended up in me being awarded a scholarship that allowed me to finish undergraduate debt-free, so I had no reason to feel the way I did back then. It's hard to control those feelings, of course, but if you were selected it's because they saw your potential and achievements!

The very first event at my top choice school's visit: breakfast where everyone introduced themselves. Everyone seemed like they were from Ivy League or Oxford level schools. Felt so out of place! I started panicking but then during the visit days, got to actually talk to people and know them and felt much more like I belonged. Most people are actually quite nice and they probably feel the same way too. I also learned later when I actually counted, it was only like half the room from these schools (not 90% like my panicking brain was thinking at the time). Going from public Canadian schools to private US schools was a big change and many cases of imposter syndrome popped up during the years but it's manageable!

The Hello PhD podcast had two back-to-back episodes on Imposter Syndrome! I highly recommend this podcast, even if you're not in the hard sciences--I credit Hello PhD and the Grad Cafe Forums for being my two sources of sanity through the application and waiting process.  
http://hellophd.com/2017/04/070-imposter-syndrome/
http://hellophd.com/2017/04/071-practical-advice-overcoming-imposter-syndrome-dr-maureen-gannon/

See this link to a question asked on stack exchange regarding funding. It seems that if there was a change to the funding, it wouldn't occur until next cycle.

I'm glad this board exists! For a lot of my life, I've felt sort of isolated, never quite fitting in. I've spent a lot of time being torn between feeling proud and excited by all of these "white-color experiences" I was getting to live, guilty that my parents made so many sacrifices to get me there and will never experience it themselves, and a bit resentful for how my peers seemed to just cruise into things. Don't get me wrong, my peers definitely worked hard and I don't doubt that most of them deserved all of the success they've achieved. But it's hard to be struggling to find an internship during undergrad and then watching how easily some of my friends got internships at their uncle's company or by having their family friend who works at a good company put in a good word for them. I had never met a single person who worked in the industry I wanted to pursue prior to my first internship, and it was sometimes a bit of a battle to not be jealous of my friends and their many useful connections. I've been out of school for a number of years now, and I've found that many of the same experiences apply in the white-color workforce. I'm sure that this is something I will continue to face as I return to pursue more education...
Thank you to @Blurry for posting the links to those books! I ended up meeting my husband during my undergrad, and he grew up quite privileged. He's been wonderful, open minded, and tries to be understanding of my roots, which I am so grateful for, but often times, he struggles to truly comprehend how it feels to be torn between your past and your present/future like this. I'm looking forward to reading them myself, and possibly sharing them with him to continue to broaden his perspective.

So glad to hear this! ??

I use inqscribe's free version. 

I was having a really really hard time at home (two deaths, flooded house, pneumonia) and I guess it was showing in my normally cheery attitude. So my favorite professor asked me to come into his office and he said "I just wanted to check that everything is okay" and I just broke down. I was a little embarrassed, but he was very kind and very very encouraging. I think about him a lot. I wrote him a really nice letter when I graduated.

I agree with your second paragraph a lot but I did not know how to phrase it. Even people who had parents that have their bachelor's have an advantage. My parents know NOTHING about college, nonetheless anything about graduate school. I was on my own for pretty much everything. If I weren't surrounded by friends who had parents in the know when I was younger, I probably never would have even gone to my undergrad. And now I have a great undergrad mentor that helped me a lot. 
 
Ditto on the first paragraph too. My mom gets so mad when I visit but have to take time out of the day to get some studying done. Oh well, they just miss us, I guess. 

First generation, chiming in! My dad is an older father, African American from rural Texas, and was actual a child during segregation (crazy to think that was so recent). His family was too poor to send him to even an HBCU, so he went into the military. Mother is an immigrant from Southeast Asia, English is her third language. They both only have high school diplomas and worked so ridiculously hard to help me succeed. I'm the youngest of 7, and the first ever to even think about doing grad school. I had no idea what to do until my advisor and secondary readers had a nice, long talk with me after my thesis defense (I'm currently on a gap year as a teaching assistant!)
I love my family to death and they have always been outstandingly supportive of my decisions in school. At first, they were upset I didn't go the "guaranteed job" route (Medicine, Law, etc. but it's hard enough to explain to them that those roads are not always straight and narrow), but they love the concept of me getting a PhD (also not straight and narrow lol.) The "gap" between my parents and I is blaringly evident sometimes. I studied a foreign language and have had awesome travel opportunities to France (Study abroad, a fellowship and now my teaching assistantship). People would always say, "You must get that travel bug from your parents!" but no; dad traveled in the military and mom traveled to immigrate. I travel because I have the opportunity and am enriching my studies... they traveled because they had to survive. I studied existentialism and psychoanalysis, convoluted topics even for academics. It can be hard knowing that they busted their asses and worked so hard to give me these opportunities, but I can't properly express what it is I'm doing. So all I can do is thank them Their enthusiasm makes up for it, though! When I wrote and shelved my thesis at my undergraduate's archive, I just thought it was a silly little thesis tradition that all honors undergrads do. However, my family was so excited that our family name was on a book in a university library haha. When I got into Berkeley, my mom broke down crying on the phone. 
Sometimes, I get winded just thinking about how much can happen within generations. My parents drive me so much, that I was more likely to apply to programs with a diversity/familial background essay options. Programs with diversity programs or choices for first generation students (that are more than just a recruiting tactic) are also a huge plus. I even openly say that one of my goals as a professor is to mentor for Mellon Mays or McNair. Gotta hold the door open! 

First-generation immigrant whose parents are working class here!
I've become used to navigate education for myself since high school. My parents don't know English very well, let alone how to get into graduate school. It used to frustrate me that they understood so little of academia and what I studied (I once attempted to explain why I liked Albert Camus to my mom, to which she replied that she found existentialism stupid), but it is what it is. It makes me feel even better about myself that in spite of that I still obtained a bachelor's degree and will hopefully one day have a doctorate.
Also, I have quite a few cousins who completed their studies in medicine, engineering and other areas, so I guess I feel less isolated in that sense. Still, I push education among my siblings (two of them got into the same honors undergraduate program as me thanks to my guidance)--I'll make sure they too succeed.

I am a first generation student. Neither of my parents went to college. I grew up well below the poverty line in a single-parent household and was completely supporting myself by 17. Academia has been a huge adjustment. I know some working-class students, but I did not grow up in the working-class. I do not have supportive but clueless parents. It makes for awkward conversations when faculty ask very basic questions about my family (what do your parents do? where did you grow up? are you going home for the summer/holiday/etc?), and I can't answer because I don't really know them, when i did live with my mother we moved constantly, and the home I have built for myself here is my year round home. At first I as intimidated by all things academia, being in rooms with people that had tutors, went to Ivy league undergrad (I'm in an ivy league phd but went community college to no-name state school for the BA), but that mostly faded. The only real, persistent difference I notice between my peers who come from middle/upper (and sometimes working) class backgrounds and I is the ease with which they express themselves and how quickly they can articulate their opinions. Believing that you have something worth saying and knowing how to say it are skills that I know I lack, and I am sure many other first generation students do as well.

I'm first generation, too. My mom graduated high school but my dad dropped out around 10th grade. He was never very good at reading and couldn't even spell my name, but he worked hard all his life as a laborer in various industries from fruit picking to construction. Jack of all trades, master of none. Mom's floated around medical fields for 30 years but never got much higher than a certified nurse's assistant, now she's a scheduler in a doctor's office. They wanted me to go to and finish school but they honestly had no idea how to support me through any of it. I did all of it on my own and I still am while I work for my MA. 
It's been a difficult road from the get-go, but I've realized I'm a pretty strong, determined person. 

I would say it does on an interpersonal/social level. Like OP I am first gen for both grad and undergrad. I'm still trying to explain to my family what a PhD even is, what I do in a program, what types of jobs I'll be able to get with one that I wouldn't have been with just a BA. Fortunately I have no actual language barrier, but talking about  grad school, PhD programs especially, just requires a totally different vocabulary that isn't a hurdle for people whose parents have also gone through the process themselves. Maybe on the day to day there is no insider advantage but I definitely think there is socially/interpersonally. 

There are some programs in Psychology that do offer a partially-funded or fully funded MA degree. Some programs I'm aware of are:

College of William and Mary (Williamsburg, VA)

Indiana State University (Terre Haute, IN)
Villanova University (Near Philadelphia, PA)
Wake Forest University (Salem, NC)

University of the Pacific (Stockton, CA)

It's not terribly common but it's not unheard of. It's usually easier if your own advisor or someone in your department puts you in touch with the person from the other school to get things going. Otherwise, there are different ways to get collaborations underway; most will include making yourself known to the faculty member by attending events at their school, taking their classes, etc., and establishing that you have shared interests. You might meet with them about your current work, and you might even straight up ask if they have a project you can get involved with. The main thing before you do any of this is to have a clear sense of how your own department (and especially, your advisor) take such out-of-department collaborations. Some might frown on them, and if that's the case, you could be walking right into a mine field that is best avoided. I'd talk to knowledgeable individuals (advanced students, trusted mentors) before making any big moves. 

Plans change. As long as you went in with the right intentions, I think you need to stop it with the guilt and self-doubt about having changed your mind. You thought you wanted X, you tried it out, and you've realized it's not for you and really your passion is in Y. That's a perfectly common and sensible course of affairs. Stop worrying about taking up someone else's spot. You went into the program in good faith and the spot is yours. You don't owe anyone else anything -- you have to give yourself the best shot at what you want (at any given time). So, that's the first thing I want to say. I'd have said this if you were funded by the department, and certainly if you've taken out loans to do it.
Now, the next step in your decision process has several moving parts to it. I assume that it's too late to apply for PhD programs this year, unless you can find programs with January deadlines and really push it. So we're likely talking applying next fall for a start time of two years from now. While you get ready to apply and start over, the question is what you want to accomplish where you are now, with the ultimate goal in mind of eventually returning to your CS route. It's possible that the certificate is the wiser choice, if you don't feel like there's more that you can/want to take from your current program, or actually since you'll have the time to finish the two-year degree, if you can still see the reasons you went into it in the first place and you can make it work, maybe there are reasons to stay through. Either way, one very important point is that you'll need LORs from your current program, so it'd be advantageous to do things in consultation with them, so you have their support. They might have their own opinions about what's the better choice. Another very relevant factor is your mental health. If your current program is making you unhappy, in my book that'd be a very good reason to leave with the certificate and find another thing to do while you apply next year that makes you happier. You might also look into requirements for the PhD applications; for example, maybe there's a writing sample requirement, in which case you'll want to make sure you have one of those before you leave, which you can get some feedback on. There's also the question of tuition vs perhaps working and earning some money next year.. I think it's time for some strategizing. 

I am drinking a chai latte with honey. Hmmmm.

Actually, the solution to ensure confidentially is obviously simple. I don't know why I can only think of it now! All I need to do is to delete all figures and tables in my result chapters when I send to her for copy-editing! After all, she cares about the grammar only and she does not need the figures and tables. No one can steal and claim my work with only the text and figure legends. It is also good to shrink the file size so I can send the whole dissertation in one document. 

Ummm... are you sure you don't need IRB? Even if it's low-risk research, you still need to get approval.
As far as timing, a lot of that is going to depend on your personal process. How certain are you that 10 interviewees is the right number? What methodology are you using to determine that 10 is the right number? Do you know for sure how you'll select interviewees and what their availability will be? What happens if you can't get 10 done right away? Are you planning to revise the interview protocol based on previous interviews? If so, you'll need to listen to recordings and/or transcribe between interviews, which may require you to build in some time between interviews. How long it takes to transcribe depends partly on the analytical process you decide to use. Will you need to transcribe word-for-word every single thing that your interviewees have said? Is your method of analysis one which will require you to allow participants to review the interview transcripts and/or the analysis produced based on it? 
I guess I'm wondering why you're trying to graduate in February, since that's likely the middle of the term? In all honesty, and especially if you're planning to go on to a PhD as you've said earlier, you should probably take your time so that you can do a more thorough MA thesis that will be publishable. 

You've gotten some good advice thus far. I would add that if you want to pursue a graduate degree in education, having at least a few years of teaching experience would be a big help.
Additionally, you might consider the non-profit world. There are tons of education related non-profits doing great work, and that could allow you to have your hands on many different aspects of education, and to get some instructional experience to see if it does whet your appetite for becoming a teacher. 

I have DEFINITELY cried in front of professors. Multiple times. During my undergrad I had a prof yell at me over an assignment answer he didn't like. I cried. I went through a break-up that I couldn't handle and cried quietly in every class I shared with the guy for a week. In my MA I had a professor suggest I drop out of school, twice. And while I managed to make it through that without crying, when the professor who co-taught the class tried to make me feel better and reassure me I was doing fine, then I broke down. Bawled in his office. It was humiliating. But we're human. It shouldn't be. We should be allowed to just feel what we feel and handle it however as long as we're not harming anyone. I've never had a professor assume my tears were an attempt at manipulation.

I cried in front of one of my professors on my third day of undergrad. I think some other students also saw. I was a long way from home and feeling culture shock, and was struggling to understand the class - I was overprepared for half of it, and very underprepared for the other half of the class. 
She was very compassionate, and spent an hour and a half with me in her office working through my reading that week. I had to work so hard in that class, and she helped me immensely. 
We're all human, you know? Sometimes, no matter how well we usually manage ourselves, emotions can be really strong. I would think quite negative things about a professor who ostracized a student who was vulnerable. It feels really bad to be that overwhelmed, and I think most people (including professors) are empathetic enough.