Wow this seems like my life exactly! Though I am in a science program, I feel like my first year is being utterly under productive.. In addition to having doubts about my own self worth I am beginning to get bitter towards everything and everyone. Anti depressants did help me get out of a rut, but at the end of the day the only thing that motivates you is your topic... I realised after 7 months of expensive experiments that my project is going nowhere, so I have to think of something to do about it! My first annual review is also coming up and I have almost nothing to show :(

Anyway I am told this is the way it is in a PhD.. kind of like being blindfolded and asked to take a walk. You hit a tree, you back up dust yourself and move on, huh. Its bit of a let down because I had so many expectations from my phd.. I imagined immersing myself doing exciting research, meeting people who are passionate about their fields and publishing a paper every couple of months, sigh.

Anyway, sorry to vent my own problems.. as far as changing your title goes, I don't think it is too late at all, one guy from my lab changed his entire thesis in his third year. It is better than turning in a lame dissertation on time.. remember you do your PhD only once, it should be something you care about, or it shows in the thesis.

For the first year report, if you are able to justify the change in your topic I think you would be fine.. such things happen all the time in academia and the reviewers have been through it themselves.

Good luck :)